


Transgressions

by TitansRule



Series: Born To Rule [4]
Category: Legacies (TV 2018), The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries & Related Fandoms
Genre: But Landon and Hope are besties, Everyone lives, Except Jo, F/F, F/M, Family, Hope is Klaroline's daughter, Lizzie and Josie were raised by Jo, M/M, No Handon, Original Family being Family, depictions of mental illness, hizzie endgame, sorry about that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:14:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 66,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24214243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TitansRule/pseuds/TitansRule
Summary: Six years after the Laughlin Academy opened, things have changed for Hope Mikaelson as she tries to deal with her family's legacy. Josie and Lizzie struggle with the trials of growing up and growing apart. Landon Kirby wants to belong somewhere and has a history no one could have guessed. And a blast from the past heals old wounds.This is the sequel to Traction, and the latest story in my Born to Rule series. I strongly suggest you at least read Traction first, if not the others, or you may get a little lost.
Relationships: Alaric Saltzman/Jenna Sommers, Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson, Elena Gilbert/Stefan Salvatore, Hope Mikaelson/Lizzie Saltzman, Hope Mikaelson/Roman Sienna, Katherine Pierce/Damon Salvatore, Keelin Malraux/Freya Mikaelson, Matt Donovan/Rebekah Mikaelson, Penelope Park/Josie Saltzman
Series: Born To Rule [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1486295
Comments: 123
Kudos: 265





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Genetics are genetics - Lizzie is still bipolar in this story. I have tried to keep this as sensitive and accurate as I can; however I am not a doctor, nor do I have any experience with this particular illness - I suffer from severe anxiety and mild to moderate depression, but that is not the same.

By 2029, the Laughlin Academy was in its sixth academic year and going strong. In the communal living room, students were enjoying a quiet Saturday morning, some doing homework, some chatting, and a couple of the werewolves napping, recapturing their energy after the transformation a few nights ago.

Hope was in the homework group, curled up in her favourite window seat with her essay and a book. Now sixteen, the blonde curls of her youth had darkened to long brunette locks, framing features that were no longer an almost mirror image of her mother, but blue eyes that still held the glint of her heritage.

Her pen tapped against her notebook, her eyes travelling around the room. One of the newer students was leaning against the doorway, watching her.

Their eyes met and she held his gaze for a second, before he turned away, slipping out of the room.

“He likes you,” her best friend murmured  
“If you say so,” Hope said, unable to help the smile that touched her lips.

“He does. I ship it.”

Hope sighed, her smile fading. “You ship it because Lizzie hates it.”

Roman Sienna’s interest in Hope was complicated by Lizzie’s crush on him. Once upon a time, the two girls were so close that it wouldn’t have mattered.

Now, however, it wasn’t Lizzie who was sitting by her side, but Penelope Park, who had joined the school three years ago.

“I don’t know why you don’t just talk to her about it,” Penelope said. “You’ve never told me why you two stopped being friends.”

“If I knew I’d tell you,” Hope said, turning her eyes back to her essay. “How much did you write?”

Penelope popped her gum. “As little as possible. Look, whatever happened, you can’t let Lizzie Saltzman’s issues control your life.”

“It’s not her fault,” Hope murmured.

“No, being bipolar is not her fault,” Penelope said. “Being a bitch is totally controllable.”

Hope shook her head, as the front gate intercom buzzed just behind her. “Well, you’d know.” She reached back, ignoring Penelope’s gasp of mock-outrage, and picked up the intercom phone. “Laughlin Academy, Hope speaking.”

_“Hope Mikaelson?”_

Hope frowned. “Yes? Who’s this?”

_“Sorry, this is Greta Sienna - Roman speaks very highly of you. I have a package for him - could you open the gate for me?”_

“Of course,” Hope said. “Give me two minutes.” She hung up and pressed the button that would open the gate, looking out of the window so she could close it again after Mrs Sienna had entered - but the gate didn’t move.

Hope frowned. “Gate mechanism isn’t working. Pen, can you do me a favour and log it for maintenance, while I let her in?”  
“Not a problem.” Penelope checked her watch. “Later though - I have a date. Try not to screw up the ‘meet the parents’.”

***

That afternoon, Caroline stepped through the front door of the Academy with a smile. Her visits were always the highlights of her month, not least because she got to see her favourite teenagers.

“Hi Caroline.”

“Hello Josie,” Caroline said, giving her a hug. “How’s your sister?”

Josie shrugged. “It’s a good day. I think. Has she still not called you?”

Caroline sighed. “I haven’t had more than a three word conversation with Lizzie since she and Hope stopped talking. Do you know where Hope is?”

Josie shook her head. “No - do you want me to find her for you?”  
“If you don’t mind,” Caroline said with a smile, “I think she knows I’m here today, but I would like a catch-up.”

“No problem,” Josie said. “She’s probably with Henrik and Mariella.”

Henrik and Mariella were in the in the media room with a few other students. Henrik was playing a video game against Jed, one of the werewolves, and somehow keeping a discussion going with Mariella at the same time.

For her part, Mari was braiding Ariana’s hair for her, while Jenna patiently waited her turn.

“Dammit,” Jed grumbled.

Henrik sniggered. “Dude, you suck.”

“Best out of three.”  


“You’re on.” Henrik paused his screen to grab his soda. “Are they going to braid your hair next, Mari?”

“My hair doesn’t like being braided,” Mariella answered. “Mom has to help me straighten it for about four hours before you can do anything with it.”

“Amen, sister,” one of the vampires said, holding up a fist. “Although, how did you end up with _that_ hair and _that_ skin?”

Mariella tied off the braid and gave him a fist-bump. “Well, MG, my biological parents gave me up when I was born, but I assume that one was African-American and one was Irish, so I’ve ended up with a red afro and freckles.”

Ariana stood up and Jenna took her place, glancing over to the screen. “Good luck.”

“Luck’s got nothing to do with it,” Henrik said, with a charming smile that was all his father. “It’s all talent.”

“Henrik, stop corrupting the younger students,” Mariella chided, gently sectioning Jenna’s dark hair.

“I’m not that much younger,” Jenna grumbled.

A couple of the even younger students that Mariella had actually been talking about fell silent, and Mariella glanced towards the door. “Jed.”

Jed paused his screen, turning to face Dylan Scott, the other werewolf alpha. “Something wrong?”

“We agreed that the wolves would stop hanging out with the witches,” Dylan said.

“No, you agreed,” Jed said, turning back to the game dismissively. “We’ve ended up with two alphas, Dylan. Learn how packs work and get over it.”

“Listen, dick …” Dylan began.

“You are an alpha because you terrify the younger students into obeying you,” Mariella said coldly. “Jed is an alpha because the wolves respect him.”

Jed smirked. “Ah, thanks babe.”

“Never going to happen,” Mariella said in a sing-song voice. “Get a grip, Dylan, or I’ll call Jackson and tell him what an asshole you’re being.”

Dylan stormed off without a word, almost knocking over Josie as he brushed past her. 

“What was all that about?” Josie asked.

“Dylan being Dylan,” Mariella said, rolling her eyes.

Josie shook her head. “Have you guys seen Hope? Caroline’s here.”

“Aunt Caroline’s here?” Jenna asked.

“She’s here for her monthly admin meeting with Dad,” Josie answered. “Where’s Hope?”

“She was with Penelope this morning,” Henrik answered. “Does she know?”

Josie frowned. “I think I’ve seen Pen since then and she didn’t say anything. But I’ll check.”

As it happened, Josie had barely left the media room when she bumped into Penelope.

“Hey Jo-Jo,” Penelope said with a smile.

“I was looking for you,” Josie said.

“Aw, miss me already?” Penelope asked, slipping her arms around her waist. “We only saw each other this morning.”

“Actually, I was wondering if you’d seen Hope,” Josie said. “Her mom’s here.”

“I haven’t seen her since this morning,” Penelope said. “She went out to let Roman’s mom in the gate.”

“Why?” Josie asked.

“Because the button was broken,” Penelope said. “Which reminds me, she asked me to raise it with maintenance. What’s wrong?”

Josie had frozen in her arms. “I just used the button to let Caroline through the gate - it worked fine.”

“Maybe they already fixed it,” Penelope said, although she looked unsure.

“Maybe,” Josie said. “Maybe Roman knows where she is.”

Predictably, they found Roman in the gym, weight-lifting. In spite of being one of the newest students, he was one of the oldest vampires, having turned over 100 years ago - as such, he hadn’t quite integrated with the students.

The two girls hesitated in the doorway.

Penelope glanced at Josie. “Are you blushing?”  


Josie cleared her throat. “Nope.”  


“It’s okay if you are,” Penelope murmured. “I mean, if I swung that way at _all_ …”

“You two know I can hear you, right?” Roman asked, setting the weights down.

“Okay, now I’m blushing,” Josie said.

Penelope rolled her eyes. “Hey, where’s Hope?”

Roman sat up. “I haven’t seen her since this morning.”

“That’s not what I asked,” Penelope said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I asked where she is.”  


“I don’t know,” Roman answered. “Why would I? You were with Hope this morning; we didn’t even speak.”

“What about your mom?” Josie asked. “Didn’t Hope bring her to wherever you were?”  


Roman frowned. “I haven’t seen or spoken to my mother since she enrolled me here.”

Josie turned to Penelope. “This is bad.”  


“Okay, someone who said she was your mother turned up at the gates this morning,” Penelope said briskly. “Hope had to go out to let her in because the mechanism wasn’t working, but now it appears to be working fine.” She sucked in a breath. “Actually, she also clarified Hope’s full name before she introduced herself.”

“We need to go and speak to Hope’s mother,” Josie said, turning to Roman. “You need to come with us.”  


“Why?” Roman asked. “I haven’t seen her.”  


“Yeah, and her mom will believe you,” Penelope said. “You want her on your side, before Klaus gets involved, because he probably won’t.”

Roman froze in the process of reaching for his towel. “Wait. She’s one of _those_ Mikaelsons?”

“How do you not know that?” Penelope asked. “It’s not like she keeps it quiet. She’s Klaus Mikaelson’s daughter.”

“Crap,” Roman muttered, yanking his shirt back on. “Where did you say her mother was?”

“Dad’s office,” Josie said, following him out of the gym. “What’s wrong?”

Roman didn’t answer, disappearing in a blur, and practically breaking through Ric’s office door.

“What in …?” Alaric sighed. “Roman?”

Roman’s eyes focused on Caroline. “Mrs Mikaelson?”  


Caroline rose to her feet. “Yes? What’s wrong?”

“My name’s Roman Sienna,” he said. “I think my mother has kidnapped your daughter.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be taking aspects from Legacies and Season 5 of The Originals, but not sticking to the show - no Malivore, because that makes my head hurt. On saying that, I know Roman's backstory isn't right.

Caroline turned white, falling back into her chair. “Okay, explain.”

“Apparently my mother turned up this morning and Hope had to go out and manually open the gate for her,” Roman said. “No one saw her come back. I had no idea that … I hadn’t realised that Hope was … who she is.”

“And now you know,” Caroline said quietly. “Sit down, take a breath and start from the beginning.”

“Caroline …” Ric began.

“Ric, we went through all of this with Elena,” Caroline said. “You know as well as I do that panicking is not going to find her any faster. Roman?”

Roman sat down. “My father became a vampire first. He turned my mother and my sister and me, because he was a controlling abusive asshole. Sorry …”

“Don’t worry about it,” Caroline said, far calmer than she felt. “Just … keep going.”  


“He decided he wanted to be the most powerful vampire on the planet,” Roman said.

Caroline raised an eyebrow. “How did that go for him?”  


“Klaus killed him,” Roman said.

Caroline nodded. “That sounds about right. Should I be apologising?”

“No,” Roman said. “He was awful. I couldn’t care less. My mother and sister feel differently.” He sighed. “When she suggested I come here, I thought maybe she was doing something for me for once - I never went to school. But now I wonder if she did it on purpose.”

“How would she know it was Hope that would answer the gate? Ric asked.

“She probably didn’t,” Roman said. “She probably thought she could manipulate me into helping her and then took advantage of the situation when Hope answered. She probably had a witch with her, who messed with the gate mechanism so Hope had to go out.”

“Okay,” Caroline said. “This is speculation and that won’t help us. Ric, canvas the school; see if anyone saw anything. Roman, I’m going to need you to come with me.”

“Caroline, I have a duty of care …” Alaric began.

“I know; I’ll keep him safe,” Caroline said, gathering her things. “If she did intend on him being a plant, she’ll be in contact, and that’s our best bet of finding her. Come on.”  


Roman hurried after her. “I really didn’t know.”  


“I believe you,” Caroline said. “Ric’s got a truth globe on the shelves in his office. You’ll be okay.”

***

The drive to the Quarter was quiet, Caroline tapping her fingers impatiently against the steering wheel.

“We’ll get her back,” Roman said quietly after a while.

Caroline managed a smile. “I know.” She pulled in outside the compound. “Let me do the talking and stay behind me, okay?”

Roman nodded, following her inside.

“Nik!” Caroline called. “Don’t overreact, but Hope’s missing!”

The Mikaelsons were in front of her in a split-second, all of them clamouring for details. 

“Wait,” Klaus said, his voice deceptively calm, yet somehow cutting through the others. “Who’s this and why is he here?”

“This is Roman,” Caroline said. “He’s going to help us find Hope. We think it’s his mother that has her.” She put a hand on his chest, urging him to stay his hand. “He had no idea. The truth globe in Ric’s office proved that.”

Klaus relaxed a little. “Explain.”  


“You killed my father,” Roman said, his voice almost completely steady. Almost. “And, honestly, I owe you for that, because he was an abusive, controlling, manipulative monster. So I don’t care that he’s dead. It means he’s not using me as a punching bag. But my mother and sister never agreed and they always swore revenge. They didn’t tell me what they were planning - I would never have agreed to help.”

His phone began to ring in his pocket.

“Is that her?” Caroline asked.

Roman checked it. “Yeah, that’s her. What do you want me to do?”

“Answer it,” Klaus answered. “Pretend you’re at school still.”

Roman nodded, stepping away from them to take the call. “I can’t talk right now.”

_“Is that any way to speak to your mother?”_

Roman sighed. “Look - there’s a student missing; I’m supposed to be looking for her.”

_“You won’t find her.”_

Roman paused. “What did you do?”

_“You know who she is?”_

Roman frowned. “Hope? Um, she’s a witch?”

_“She’s Klaus Mikaelson’s daughter, Roman.”_

“She is?” Roman asked. “Wait … What the hell? What are you doing?”

_“We’re going to avenge your father,”_ his mother said with an audible smile

“This again?” Roman asked. “Mother, she’s a sixteen-year-old girl, she didn’t kill him!”

_“Roman, you’ve always been weak-minded.”_

Roman rolled his eyes. “Yes, because feeling that we shouldn’t target one person in retaliation for what someone else did is weak-minded. Look, just let her go. Please?”

_“You like her, don’t you?”_

Roman swallowed, his eyes darting towards her parents. “She’s a nice girl, Mother. She doesn’t deserve to get dragged into this. Look, let her go, and I’ll help you come up with something else, a way of getting him back in person.”

_“I’ve got a better idea,”_ Greta said. _“You join us, and I’ll make it a quick death.”_

She hung up.

“You did really well,” Caroline said kindly, despite the fury in her eyes. “I’m sorry we’re going to kill the rest of your family.”

“I’m not,” Roman admitted, staring at his phone. “I’ve been fighting for their affection since I was born. I don’t know why I bothered. Okay, I’ve got an address.”

“Good,” Davina said from the top of the stairs, “because she’s cloaked.”

Roman handed Caroline his phone. “Do you know where that is?”

“I do,” Caroline said grimly, showing Klaus. “Stay here and …”

“No,” Roman said. “I’m coming with you. They’re expecting me after all.”

***

Hope came around slowly, the muscles in her arms aching as though she had overworked them. A moment later, she realised why - her hands were chained above her head leaving her just a little too high off the ground.

She tugged on the shackles a little, but they didn’t move.

“They won’t break.”

Hope focused on the woman in front of her. “Mrs Sienna. Sorry - that is your real name, right?”  


“It is,” she said. “But please call me Greta.”  


“My mother taught me better,” Hope said. “Plus I prefer to not be on first-name terms with my kidnappers. I assume these aren’t just anti-magic shackles?”  


“Certainly not,” Greta said. “They’re enforced - plus we took the precaution of injecting you with wolfsbane.”

“Ah, I thought I felt a little woozy,” Hope said. “Alright, what do you want?”

“Revenge,” Greta answered. “Your father murdered my husband.”

“And you’re responding by killing his daughter,” Hope said. “Too scared to go after him in person?”

“Doesn’t it bother you?” Greta asked. “Your father …”  


“My father has a history,” Hope said, her voice bored. “If I apologised to everyone he’d pissed off over the last millennium, I’d never stop talking. He’ll find you, you know.”

“I’m sure he will,” Greta said. “But my witch has put a boundary spell around the area. No one can enter without an invitation from me. And the Mikaelsons would spoil the party. By the time they’ve broken the spell, you’ll be dead and I’ll be long gone. Mind you, Roman’s clearly very fond of you. Maybe I’ll let him have his fun with you before we kill you.”

“Why do we have to wait for him?”

Hope’s eyes snapped to a younger woman, who was lounging on a chair. When she saw she had Hope’s attention, she smiled.

“I’m perfectly happy to take my revenge right now.”

“Patience, Antoinette,” Greta said fondly. “Roman has another few minutes to get here.”

Hope strained to hear what was happening outside the dilapidated house. She thought she could hear her mother in the distance, but maybe that was just her imagination. Despite her bravado, none of the previous attempts (and there had been some) had never got this far, and she had never doubted that a member of her family was within striking difference.

“You must have thought you’d won the lottery when I answered the intercom,” she said.

“It did make things far easier,” Greta admitted. “My son can be a little soft.”

“He doesn’t strike me as the type,” Hope said. “Unless by ‘soft’ you mean ‘reluctant to murder innocents’.”

Greta laughed. “Innocent? You have bloodlust running through your veins, young lady.”

“Okay, not even my mother calls me that,” Hope said. “Not to mention, I have never killed anyone, nor am I a vampire, so I think your bloodlust might be stronger than mine is.”

Greta took a step towards her, but then the door creaked open and Roman stepped inside.

“Aright, I’m here,” he said, his eyes flickering towards Hope. “Let her go. They know she’s missing; they’ve figured out you’ve got her. You know they’ll burn the world to find her - and you.”  


“And how do they know I’ve got her?” Greta asked.

“Maybe because there was someone right next to me when I answered the intercom,” Hope said, “and you gave me your real name. Doesn’t take a genius.”

“Mother,” Roman said, his voice low. “Just let her go. Please.”

“Here’s your choice,” Greta said, handing him a knife. “Either you man up and kill her, do your duty to your family, or I’ll let Antoinette do it. And you know how she enjoys playing with her food.”

“Oh, please,” Antoinette practically purred. “She looks _delicious_.”

“No,” Roman said hastily. “No, I’ll do it.”

Hope tugged on the chains again. “Roman, please …”

“I kind of figured you’d have dealt with it by the time I got here,” Roman said. “You’re supposed to be Super Witch.”

“Super Witch can’t do much with anti-magic shackles,” Hope said, as he approached her. “Roman, please - this isn’t a fair fight - please …”

“Oh, shut her up,” Antoinette said, rolling her eyes. “She’s starting to get annoying.”

Roman rested the knife against Hope’s clavicle, his free hand resting on the wall beside hers. “Damsel in distress doesn’t suit you, Mikaelson.”

Hope narrowed her eyes. “Well, it’s not a role I excel in.”

Roman smirked. “Let’s fix that then.”

In a split second, he had broken the chains around her wrists and she dropped to the floor, her magic flowing back into her. “I got this. Move.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have yet to actually watch Legacies in it's entirety - I can't get it in the UK, so I'm relying on YouTube clips, which is one of the reasons why I'm only borrowing elements for this. Therefore, some characters from Legacies may be OOC. Also, Hope will be different - not completely different - she is still her father's daughter after all - but she has a different mother and - crucially - she grew up with her family as the 'Princess' of New Orleans, not in hiding, or separated from her family because of the Hollow.

A few moments later, Hope stood surrounded by smoke and bodies, her chest heaving. Her knees buckled and strong arms caught her before she hit the floor.

“Whoa, are you okay?”  


“They gave me wolfsbane,” Hope said, her voice slurring a little. “I’m a bit woozy.”

“Well, you also just took out most of the people in here,” Roman said. “Self-rescuing princess.”

“Damn right,” Hope said. “You had me worried for a second there.”

Roman managed a small smile. “I wasn’t ever going to hurt you.”

Hope laughed shakily. “Well, I know that - you just killed your mother and your sister.”

“I snapped their necks,” Roman said. “Not dead yet.”

“Well, once Dad gets here they will be,” Hope told him.

Roman shrugged. “They deserve it, Hope. Your family are waiting at the edge of the boundary spell - although I did kill the only witch in the building, so I assume it’s now down.”

Hope nodded. “You’ll need to carry me out.”

“Are you sure?” Roman asked. “I can help you walk. Your parents are already worried and I’m fairly sure most of New Orleans followed us; it’s not going to do your street cred any good.”

“They still see me as a kid,” Hope said. “Besides, it’ll do wonders for your life expectancy. Dad’s probably on the edge already. Make it look good and he should settle. Also I don’t think my legs are going to work.”

“Okay, hang on.” Roman’s arm shifted around her waist and he lifted her into his arms. “Okay?”

Hope wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder. “I’m okay. Thank you for coming for me.”

“Just stay awake for me,” Roman murmured. “I think you’re still going to have to talk me out of an early grave.”

“Mom’ll protect you,” Hope mumbled.

As they left the house, her family had just reached the door.

“Oh, thank God!” Caroline breathed, reaching out to touch her face. “Hope, sweetie, are you okay?”

“‘M fine,” Hope murmured. “He saved me.”  


“She saved herself,” Roman said. “Fairly sure everyone’s dead, but I left my mother and sister for you to deal with,” he added to Klaus.

Klaus gave him a very dangerous smile. “Good lad.”

“Did she kill anyone?” Caroline asked, as her in-laws made their way into the building. “I saw the magic explode.”

“Only vampires,” Roman said. “I made sure I took the witch out so she didn’t have to.”

Caroline breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you. Are you alright?”

Roman gave her a weak smile. “I will be.”

***

Returning to school was thankfully not as painful as Hope had expected - her disappearance had been glossed over, so only Penelope, Josie, Roman and Alaric knew exactly what had happened.

The only downside was the mandatory counselling.

It had been two long weeks of daily sessions, and quite frankly she’d have taken the kidnapping all over again if she had a choice between the two.

There was a tap at her window and she jumped, just managing to keep a streak of paint ending up where it shouldn’t.

“Hope?”

“Roman?” Hope hurried over to the window, pulling it open. “What are you doing on the balcony?”

“Well, you weren’t answering the door,” Roman said in a low voice. “I was worried.”

“There’s a spell on it,” Hope admitted. “I just … I needed a bit of quiet time. Dr Saltzman knows about it - it doesn’t work on him, so he can still reach me in an emergency.”

“An emergency that he needs to protect you from, or one you need to protect him from?” Roman asked.

Hope couldn’t help laughing. “Both. What did you need?”  


“Nothing really,” Roman said, pulling the window close behind him. “I was worried - I haven’t seen you all day. And you missed classes - which you’ve never done in all the time I’ve been here.”

“Yeah, well, I had my last counselling appointment this morning,” Hope muttered.

Roman grimaced. “Yeah, my last one was yesterday. I don’t blame you for having no energy left after that. I brought you the class notes -Josie gave me the ones for spell labs.”

“Thanks,” Hope said quietly, taking them.

“You paint?” Roman asked, wandering over to the easel.

“Since I was young,” Hope answered, sitting down on the end of her bed. “Dad taught me.”

“You’re very good,” Roman said. “I guess I should …”  


“Do you think I’m a monster?” Hope asked suddenly.

Roman faltered. “Wha - No! Where did that come from?”

“I’m tired,” Hope said quietly. “Mom told me everything I needed to know about my family history last summer, and it sucked. And I know there’s even more I don’t know and … I can’t keep pretending it doesn’t bother me.”  


Roman sat down beside her. “This sounds like something to talk to Miss Tig about.”

Hope laughed humourlessly. “Sorry, have you met her? She stops just short of telling me my family are monsters and I should be ashamed of them.”

“Have you told Dr S?” Roman asked.

Hope shook her head. “She never actually says that. I could just be projecting.”

“I’ll be honest, I got a weird vibe from her,” Roman said. “She might just be a bitch. Or a crappy counsellor, one of the two.”

“I’m hoping for the latter,” Hope said. “I’d rather think the best of people until I’m proved wrong.” She sighed. “I’m afraid I’m a psychopath.”

Roman choked back a laugh. “Sorry, you did just hear yourself, right? The first two sentences completely invalidated the third.”

“Well, it’s clearly hereditary,” Hope said, standing up. “What if there’s something lingering under the surface, just waiting for me to snap?”

“I’m fairly sure anyone can snap if you push them far enough,” Roman said. “I’m also fairly sure that if you’re afraid of being a psychopath you’re almost certainly not one.”

Hope gazed out of the window. “I’m a freak miracle baby. I shouldn’t even exist.”

“Hey.”

There were footsteps behind her and his hand settled on her shoulder.

“Miracle, maybe, but there are at least three other students who fit that description,” Roman said. “Your cousin, for one. And weren’t the Salvatore girls born to vampires as well?”

“Henrik’s mother is still human,” Hope said, “and the spell was an accident. And the Salvatore girls were pure magic. I was the work of a psychopath. Sometimes I feel like some great cosmic mistake.”

“You’re not,” Roman said. “Look at me.”

Reluctantly, Hope turned to face him, forcing herself to meet his eyes.

“The cosmos is lucky to have you,” he said firmly. “I know I am.”

Hope’s breath caught in her throat, his gaze searing through her. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Roman lifted a hand and brushed a strand of hair back from her face. “Your dad’s going to kill me for this, isn’t he?”

“I won’t tell if you don’t,” Hope breathed, her eyes closing as his lips touched hers.

His hand moved down to her waist, sliding to the small of her back to tug her closer as the kiss deepened.

A knock on the door broke them apart. 

“Hope? I need to speak to you.”

Hope’s eyes widened. “You need to go,” she whispered.

Roman nodded, pressing one last kiss to her lips before disappearing out the window.

Hope checked her reflection, made sure her make-up wasn’t too smudged, and opened the door. “Dr Saltzman?”

Alaric gave her a smile. “Josie said you had the spell up and you missed all your classes today.”  


“I know,” Hope said. “I’m sorry.”

Alaric frowned. “Can I come in?”  


Hope stepped back silently and collected the notes Roman had left behind, checking through them. “Roman already dropped off my class notes.”  


“That’s good,” Alaric said. “Are you alright? Emma said that she feels you need further counselling.”  


“No!” Hope said hastily. “No, I can’t. Please don’t put me through that.”

Alaric sighed. “Hope, she’s our school counsellor. Her job is to help you deal with what happened.”  


“Yeah, well, I was dealing with it better before I spoke to her.” Hope said. “I have seen her every day for two weeks and, quite frankly, that’s enough. I was kidnapped because my father’s a psychopath. And I will deal with that in my own time. I know enough from Cami that if you don’t get along with your counsellor, you may as well not be there.”

“You have a point,” Alaric said. “Alright, I’ll sign off, but on the agreement that you call Dr O’Connell and set up an appointment with her.”  


Hope pulled a face, but nodded. “Okay, deal.”

“Good.” Alaric gave her a fatherly pat on the shoulder and turned to leave.

“Dr Saltzman?” Hope said suddenly. “I … I wanted to say thank you.”

Alaric paused. “For what?”  


Hope dropped her gaze. “Mom told me about the hybrid curse last summer.”

“Hope …” Alaric let out a heavy sigh. “You cannot carry the weight of the world. What happened was not your fault.”  


“I know that,” Hope said. “But Dad’s an asshole and doesn’t apologise for anything.” That surprised a laugh out of him and she couldn’t help smiling. “I don’t know how you can look me in the eye sometimes.”  


“You are not your father,” Alaric said. “He and I are never going to be best friends, obviously, but given everything that’s happened, we have an understanding. And whatever issues I have with him - they’re not going to impact my relationship with you and your mother, okay?”

Hope nodded, stepping forwards to hug him. Generally during the school year, she tried to keep the distance of teacher-student, but this was still someone who had almost always been in her life, so she let it go from time to time.

He rubbed her back and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Make sure you go to class tomorrow.”

“I will.” Hope watched him leave and reset the spell, before rushing back to the balcony. She stepped out into the night air a second before Roman landed silently beside her.

“Well, that was close.”

Hope giggled. “It wasn’t close. He had no idea you were here.”

“Good.” Roman pulled her into his arms again. “So can I take you out tomorrow?”

“Well, I don’t just kiss every guy who comes through my window,” Hope said, with a smile, “so I should hope so.”


	4. Chapter 4

The following afternoon, after classes had finished, Hope met Roman outside the front of the school. “So where are you taking me?”

“Well, this town has nothing going for it, and I figured stealing a car to take you to the Quarter might be a bad first date,” Roman said with a smile. “So are you okay with the diner and a milkshake?”

Hope laughed. “That sounds good. Although for future reference, I do _have_ a car in the garage, so the Quarter is doable.”  


“You have a car?” Roman asked.

“Honey, I’m Hope Mikaelson,” Hope said, sliding her hand into his as they walked. “My family was arguing about what kind of car to get me when I was ten. On saying that, if we ever go to the Quarter, it is practically a guarantee that someone in my family will show up, so that’s probably more a third date kind of thing.”

“I mean, I have technically met your family,” Roman said. “But you’re probably right.”

The nearest town to the school was not - in Hope’s opinion - qualified to describe itself as a town. Even smaller than Mystic Falls, it had an elementary school, a high school, a cluster of stores, and three churches. 

Why so few people needed three churches (alright, two - one of them was closed), Hope had no idea.

It was a twenty minute walk, going fairly slowly, and they chatted about school and classes - for the most part, they took the same classes, but there were a few classes they had separately, individually crafted for vampires and witches.

Hope had other friends at the school who were vampires, but she’d never really asked about the other classes.

“Do you find history boring?” She asked as they approached the diner. “Having lived through it, I mean?”

“Well, so far, we haven’t had any classes about anything I directly experienced,” Roman answered, holding the door for her. “So it hasn’t been too bad.”

“Hello!” The greeter said cheerfully. “Just the two of you today?”

Hope bit back a sarcastic comment as Roman agreed and the woman led them over to a booth.

Once she was out of earshot, Roman leaned across the table. “I mean, could she see anyone else?”

“Oh, thank God,” Hope said, giggling. “I was thinking that.”

The diner was fairly busy for a Thursday afternoon, but then it was the only place for social gathering in the town.

On the other side of the diner, most of the tables were occupied by elderly people, chatting over cups of coffee.

A few tables away, a group of jocks were loudly discussing the weekend’s game, all clad in the high school’s letterman jackets.

There seemed to be an invisible line through the establishment, meant to separate the young from the old.

“Sorry, sorry!”

The server appeared at their sides, looking very harried. He looked to be about Hope’s age, dark curly hair and somewhat exotic looks.

“Hope?” Roman prompted, jolting her out of her thoughts.

“Sorry,” Hope said, glancing back at her menu. “Peanut butter milkshake please. And can you put the whipped cream on the bottom?”

The server raised an eyebrow, but nodded. “Not a problem. I’ll be right back.” He took the menus and headed back in the direction of the kitchen, only just managing to keep his balance as one of the jocks stuck a foot out to trip him.

“Assholes,” Hope muttered under the laughter.

Roman touched her hand. “Are you okay? You seem … distracted.”  


“Yeah, I’m fine.” Hope turned back to him. “Sorry; I swear to God I know him from somewhere. Just can’t put my finger on it.”

“Something tells me that we’re not getting our order anytime soon,” Roman said. “I’m willing to bet those dicks do that again.”

Hope shook her head. “Not taking that bet.”

Roman narrowed his eyes. “They’re talking about you.”

“I’m female,” Hope said, squeezing his hand. “Of course they are.”

His eyes darkened - she wasn’t sure what had just been said, but she was willing to bet that it was either very unflattering or very inappropriate.

“Hey.” She leaned across the table, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. “I’m not giving them the time of day, alright?”

Roman closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. The veins beginning to litter his skin died away, just in time for a loud crash.

Hope sighed. “That was ours, wasn’t it?”

“Kirby!”

“Of course the manager’s going to blame him,” Roman said, opening his eyes again. “Recognise the name?”  


Hope shook her head. “Nope.”  


While the jocks laughed, the server started cleaning up the mess as the manager approached.

“Look, just … Get these people their order and grab a mop!” He bypassed the mess in favour of approaching Roman and Hope. “I am so sorry for the inconvenience.”

“It’s fine,” Hope said with a sweet smile. “We’re not in a hurry. Although I’d like it if you could switch that apology to your server instead.”

“Excuse me?”  


“Your customers intentionally tripped him,” Roman said in a low voice. “And they have been saying highly inappropriate things about other customers since we’ve been sitting there. So blaming your server for an accident seems a bit unfair.”

“He won’t,” Hope said as the manager walked away.

“We can only hope,” Roman said. “Those assholes probably ‘spend a lot of money here’ which means they can do whatever the hell they like.”

“How do you know they’ve got money?” Hope asked.

“One of them’s borrowed his dad’s Porsche,” Roman answered. “There’s a … charity car wash? Have I missed something over the last few decades?”

“High school washes cars in exchange for charity donations,” Hope said.

“I guessed that,” Roman said. “They don’t strike me as the philanthropist types.”

Hope smirked. “Girls in bikinis.”  


“Okay, that makes sense.”

The server reappeared with a tray. “I’m so, so sorry.”  


“It’s not your fault,” Hope said. “Out of interest, have you ever been to the French Quarter?”

His brow creased. “No. Why?”  


“No reason,” Hope said hastily.

“Okay,” he said, still looking confused. “Well, enjoy. Let me know if you need anything else.”

“Thanks,” Roman said. “Don’t know him then?”  


“Well, that was my guess,” Hope said. “That I’d seen him around there somewhere. I guess he just looks like someone else.”

“They say everyone’s got a doppelganger somewhere,” Roman said.

Hope snorted into her milkshake. “One day I’ll tell you why that’s funnier than you realise.”

He wasn’t a doppelganger - her hand had brushed his when she took her milkshake; it wasn’t nearly enough for a proper reading, but enough for her to be fairly sure that he wasn’t supernatural.

“Sometimes it is just a coincidence,” Roman said, as though he was reading her mind.

Hope smiled. “I know. So you were saying that you lived in Brazil for a while?”

Thankfully, the table of jocks had quietened down. Or, at the very least, they weren’t getting louder and Hope was able to tune them out, in favour of listening to Roman talking about South America.

She had almost forgotten about the high school drama unfolding behind her, when a sudden crash made her jump.

“Table,” Roman murmured. “Overturned.”

Hope winced at the manager’s voice again. “They overturn a table and he still blames the server?”

Laughing, the leader of the pack clapped the server on the shoulder. “Have fun with that. Let’s roll, boys.”

Hope snorted. “Let’s roll? What is this - _Grease_?”

“Nah, the T-Birds were cooler,” Roman said.

Hope watched the boys gather around the cars outside, one of which - as Roman had said - was a sleek, silver Porsche. “You said that was his dad’s?”

“Yeah, and it sounded like his dad didn’t know about it,” Roman said. “Why?”  


Hope smirked. “Can you get us to the high school before them?”

A slow smile spread across his face. “Of course. I’m paying.”  


Hope paused, hand halfway to her purse. “Are you sure?”  


“I know things have changed over the years,” Roman said. “But I’m fairly sure if you do the asking, you pay for the date.”

Hope’s eyes darted to the mess behind them and what was - undoubtedly - no tip. “At least let me add to the tip.”

Roman heaved a mock-heavy sigh. “Oh, alright then.”

Hope smiled triumphantly, setting a bill beside her glass, gratified to see that Roman had put down a similarly large bill.

He met her eyes. “Great minds think alike.”

Hope took his hand as he led her out of the diner and they slipped down the next alleyway.

“Ready?” Roman asked.

Hope checked that her purse was securely fastened across her body and nodded. “When you are.”

Roman wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her against her, and then they were moving, the wind rushing past them.

It stopped all of a sudden, in the trees behind the high school. Across the street, the cheerleaders were mid-car wash, dressed, as Hope had predicted, in skimpy shorts and bikinis.

“Aren’t they cold?” Roman asked.

“It doesn’t matter,” Hope said. “Looking good is more important than feeling good. I don’t get it.”

“Yeah, but I’m fairly sure you get out of bed looking gorgeous,” Roman said, “so you don’t have that problem.”

Hope slid her arms over his shoulders to lock behind his neck. “You think?”

“Of course.” Roman kissed her, pulling away just as convoy of jocks pulled up. “So what are you thinking?”

“Just wait,” Hope said with a smirk. “We’re not supposed to do any magic out here, in case someone sees us, so …”  


“My lips are sealed,” Roman said.

“Excellent.” Hope watched as the driver got out of the ‘borrowed’ Porsche and sauntered over to one of the cheerleaders. “Oh, fantastic.”

“What?” Roman asked.

Hope grinned. “You didn’t tell me which one borrowed the Porsche. I was really hoping it was Mr ‘Let’s Roll’ - and it is! That was the one I was going to get and this is going to be so much better.”

“So what …?”  


“Wait,” Hope said again. “Just wait.”

Timing was everything. 

The cheerleaders began to wash the Porsche, showing off to the driver in a way that Hope assumed they thought was sexy.

“Don’t they have sponges?” Roman murmured.

“Yeah, they’re just trying to get his attention,” Hope answered.

“How?” Roman asked. “By washing his windscreen with their chests?”  


Hope chuckled. “You’re adorably old-fashioned and I love it.”  


Roman smiled, pressing a kiss to her head. “Out of interest, what are you waiting for?”

“The girls to step back to rinse off,” Hope said. “Don’t want to hurt them.”

A few moments later, the cheerleaders stepped back and one of them picked up the hose to rinse off the car.

Hope lifted her hand and murmured a few words under her breath, freezing the water on the car. Then, as the jet of water hit the car, she flexed her fingers, causing all the glass in the car to shatter outwards.

As the screams of shock started (the highest belonging to the driver, quite pleasingly), Hope tightened her arms around Roman. “Okay, get us out of here.”

With another gust of wind, they were suddenly deeper in the trees and Roman allowed himself to erupt into laughter. “You,” he said, kissing her, “are an evil genius and I love that.”


	5. Chapter 5

Being in a relationship was weird.

Good-weird, but weird nonetheless.

To start with, Hope had always assumed that dating meant being in a relationship, but apparently dating just meant going on dates, which then led to an awkward conversation about whether or not you were in a relationship.

As it happened, they were, and Roman had also assumed the same as her, so she decided not to take any more advice from Penelope, even if she and Josie were nauseatingly adorable.

Her relationship with Lizzie, which was just about hovering at ‘icy civility’, had deteriorated again, and Hope found herself on the receiving end of anger-filled glares and pointed remarks once more. She took to spending as much time away from Lizzie as possible, helped by the fact that Roman enjoyed the outdoors as much as she did - or, at the very least, he was a good boyfriend who pretended to.

One evening, as they let themselves back in through the kitchen door, Hope paused, her head tilting to one side.

“What’s wrong?” Roman asked.

Hope frowned. “Do you hear that? Un-triggered wolf hearing is not really on the same plane as vampire hearing.”

Roman was quiet for a second. “I can hear … people talking in the rec room … Miss Tig and Mr Williams are … Never mind.”

Hope grimaced. “Okay, I did not need to know that. I think I can hear Lizzie.”

“Oh, I can hear her,” Roman said. “Honestly, Hope, she’s in this kind of state so often I’ve learned to tune it out.”  
Hope frowned, fetching a saucepan from under the sink. “It’s not her fault.”  
“I know it’s not,” Roman said. “But when you hear something often enough, it just becomes part of the background noise.”  
“Can you pass me the milk please?” Hope asked.

Roman did as she asked. “I thought we were going to watch a movie.”

“We will,” Hope said, brushing a kiss to his cheek as she took the bottle. “I’m just making hot cocoa - there’s a packet of cookies right at the top of that cupboard, do you mind?”

Handing her the cookies, Roman watched as she set them out on three plates, before pouring the hot cocoa into three mugs. With a murmured spell, one batch vanished.

“Where have they gone?” Roman asked.

“Lizzie’s room,” Hope answered. “It’s a thing.”  
“Hang on,” Roman said. “You and Lizzie hate each other.”

Hope sighed. “No. Lizzie hates me.”

Apparently sensing he’d touched a nerve, Roman picked up the tray and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, guiding her upstairs.

Once they were safely ensconced in her room, Hope placed the privacy spell on the door automatically.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Roman asked.

“Not really,” Hope said with a sigh.

“Is it my fault?” Roman asked.

“No,” Hope said with a smile. “It’s been going on longer. I mean, you’re not helping, but you’re not the reason for it. I don’t even know what the reason is.”

“Something must have happened,” Roman prompted.

Hope shrugged. “You’d think. We used to be best friends. When we were about twelve, there was a fire in my dorm and I had to go home early for summer break. After a week or so, Lizzie stopped answering her phone or returning my texts, and … She’d only just been diagnosed, so I figured that had something to do with it, and she was away with her dad so it wasn’t like I could just come here and talk to her, and then when I got back to school, she wouldn’t even look at me.”

She paused and managed a small smile. “Shit happens, I guess.”

“You’ve never asked her?” Roman murmured, taking one of the mugs from her.

Hope sighed. “I’m fairly sure I know. I think she’s heard one too many stories about my family. It’s not like her dad doesn’t have enough fodder.”

“Dr Saltzman likes you,” Roman said.

“Yeah, but it still doesn’t change the fact that he has loved three women in his life and my father murdered two of them,” Hope muttered.

“Okay.” Roman put his mug down again and sat down on her bed, leaning against the headboard. “Come here.”

Hope sat down beside him and he tugged her into his arms.

“You have not inherited that from your father,” he said quietly. “You got some things, but not that. You got art, and loyalty, and a protectiveness so strong that you’re still protecting Lizzie even though she’s pushing you away. And if I could see that after a few weeks, and Lizzie couldn’t after 12 years, then she’s not the friend you thought she was.”

His words cut deep, however gently they were said, but she knew he was right.

“She stopped being my friend,” she murmured. “I didn’t stop being hers. Please don’t tell her what I’m doing.”  
“She doesn’t know?” Roman asked. “Never mind, of course she doesn’t.”

“It’s easier if she doesn’t,” Hope said. “And I don’t really want to talk about it anymore.”

“Well, I can take your mind off of it, but the cocoa might get cold,” Roman said teasingly.

Hope smiled, tugging on his collar to bring his lips down to hers. “I don’t care.”

***

Three months, almost to the day, of their first kiss, Roman turned up at Hope’s door with an expression that made her heart sink.

“What’s wrong?” She asked immediately.

“Can I come in?” Roman asked in response.

Hope nodded, stepping back to let him in, bracing herself for whatever bad news was to come.

“Don’t do that,” Roman said.

“Do what?” Hope asked.

“Shut down,” Roman answered. “I need you here with me.”

Hope narrowed her eyes, then sighed. “Sometimes I hate it that you can read me so well. What’s wrong?”  


“Dr Saltzman offered me a job,” Roman answered.

“That’s amazing,” Hope said, breaking into a smile. “You’ve been saying you don’t feel like you fit as a student; that’s … You don’t look happy about it.”

“The job involves finding potential students and letting them know about the school,” Roman said.

“That sounds like something you’d be good at,” Hope said cautiously. “What’s the catch?”

“The job is based in Europe,” Roman answered.

Hope hesitated, trying desperately to think of something to say. “Oh.”

“Yeah,” he agreed quietly.

“Are you going to take it?” She asked.

“I don’t know.”

Hope swallowed. “Do you want to?”

Roman hesitated. “I don’t know.”

Hope closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to steady herself. “Don’t take this the wrong way, because I think you’d be amazing, but … My dad didn’t have a hand in this, did he?”  
“I already asked,” Roman said with a small smile. “Dr S pointed out that if your dad didn’t want me near you, he wouldn’t be nearly as tactful about it.”

Hope chuckled bitterly. “Yeah, he’s probably right.” She took another deep breath. “I think you should go.”

“I know - What?” Roman asked, clearly taken aback.

Hope smiled sadly. “You’d be really good at this. You can’t throw that away for me.”

“You make it sound like you wouldn’t be worth it,” Roman said.

“This isn’t about me,” Hope said. “Look, if we’d been together several years, it would be different. If I was older, it would be different. But we haven’t and I’m not. I’m sixteen. I’m not ready to stand here and say that I want us to be together forever, and that is the only kind of relationship you should let dictate your life.” She paused, closing her eyes against the burn of tears. “So if you want to go, don’t turn it down for me.”

“Hope …” His fingertips brushed her cheek and she turned her face into his touch. “A long-distance relationship …”

“I know,” Hope murmured. “If it’s meant to be, we’ll find our way back to each other. If not, at least we’ll still be friends.”

He was silent for a few minutes, then he tilted her face up to kiss her gently. “I love you.”  


Her eyes flew open, meeting his before she really had time to process the words. “I …”  


“You don’t need to say anything,” Roman said. “I just … I have some thinking to do. And I need you to know that, because I don’t want you thinking for a second that you’re not worth it, okay?”

***

She knew he was going to say yes.

The news reached her through the grapevine before he’d had a chance to tell her. She was sitting with Penelope and Josie at the time, when Lizzie wandered over.

“I hear your boyfriend’s leaving.”

Hope froze. It was the first time Lizzie had said anything somewhat civil to her in months. “He is.”

“Driven him away already?”

And they were back to normal.

“You don’t have to be such a bitch,” Penelope said sharply.

“Stay out of this, Satan,” Lizzie retorted. “Europe’s probably the safest place for him; I’m sure there’s a coffin for him in the French Quarter.”

Hope bolted to her feet, causing Lizzie to jerk back in surprise. “You’re wrong, Penelope,” she said, cold eyes fixed on Lizzie’s. “I’m fairly sure it’s ingrained by now.”

Brushing past her former best friend, she stalked out of the room. She found Roman in his room, packing his things.

“You’re leaving already?”  


“Not quite,” he said with a weak smile. “I was going to come and find you.”  


“Didn’t doubt it,” Hope said, wrapping her arms around him.

His arms encircled her automatically. “What happened?”  


“Lizzie,” Hope muttered.

Roman pressed a kiss to her head. “My flight leaves early tomorrow morning, so I’ll be gone by breakfast.”

Hope nodded against his chest. “Can you … Can you come and stay in my room tonight?”

“If you want,” Roman said. “I’ll wake you up though, when I leave at an ungodly hour.”  


“Good,” Hope said. “Make sure you do - I want a chance to say goodbye.”

“Okay then,” Roman said. “I’ll meet you there after dinner.”

***

Hope paced her room, irrationally nervous. 

Maybe he’d left early.

Maybe he just wouldn’t come.

But of course he hadn’t, and he would, a familiar knock sounding - not on her door, but her window.

Hope smiled, running over to let him in.

“Hey, beautiful.” Roman kissed her, setting his duffle bag down. “Bag’s are all packed and in the car, so I am all yours until 2.30am.”

Hope pulled a face. “I don’t envy you that.”

“I guess we’re not watching a movie,” Roman said, glancing at her laptop, closed and switched off on her desk.

“Wasn’t planning on it,” Hope whispered, rising up on her tiptoes to kiss him.

His hands settled on her waist, tightening for a split-second before they moved, faster than she could process, her back hitting the mattress and his weight landing on top of her, comforting rather than oppressive.

His hand shifted up, brushing against the sliver of skin that had been revealed as her shirt rode up and she broke the kiss to suck in a breath, his touch sending shockwaves through her. He took the opportunity to trail kisses down her throat.

“You are so beautiful,” he murmured against her skin. “So kind. So funny. So … I am going to miss you so much.”

Hope bit her lip, blinking back tears, her nerves finally settling. She pushed on his shoulders and he hastily moved back, allowing her to sit up.

“Sorry - I …”

He trailed off, as she grasped the hem of her shirt and tugged it up and over her head, tossing it somewhere behind him.

She laid back down, basking for a few seconds in the heat of his gaze. “Are you just going to look at me?”  
Roman cleared his throat. “Hope … are you sure?”

Hope nodded. “I love you.”

Roman broke into a smile. “If you’re trying to talk me out of this, you’re leaving it a bit late.”  


“I’m not,” Hope said, reaching out to touch his face. “I can’t promise that I’ll love you in three years. I can’t even promise that I’m _in_ love with you. But I can say with certainty that I love you now, in this moment. And I want this. I want you.”

“I’m a dead man,” Roman murmured, his hand skimming across her stomach.

Hope’s breath caught. “You’re a vampire; kinda in the job description.”

Roman chuckled. “Not what I meant.”

Hope rolled her eyes. “I do not want to think about my father right now - I’ll protect you; now get down here.”

***

Hope’s eyes flickered open, landing on the clock on her bedside table, ridiculously small numbers blinking at her. She rolled over with a groan, her body pleasantly sore.

“Sorry,” Roman whispered in the darkness. “I was trying not to wake you.”

“I told you to,” Hope replied, flicking the light switch and wincing in the light.

Roman was already fully dressed and returned to her side, touching her neck. “You’ve healed.”

“Freak baby, remember?” Hope asked with a weak smile. “Disappointed?”  


“Well, it’s probably a good thing,” Roman said. “I wasn’t exactly gentle and you’re seeing your mom this weekend.”

“Don’t fish for compliments,” Hope said with a smile. “I think it was obvious I enjoyed it. You’ve spoiled me for other men.”  


Roman kissed her. “You’ve caught on,” he murmured against her lips. “I’d better go; I need to grab a blood bag first.”

“Feed from me,” Hope said.

Roman froze. “Absolutely not.”

Hope rolled her eyes. “Come on; I’ll heal. If you feed from me, we get an extra five minutes.” She watched him struggle with the idea. “I know you want to.”  
Roman groaned. “Of course I want to; I’m only human. I know that’s a contradiction,” he added hastily.

Hope swung her legs out of bed and sauntered over to her chest of drawers to pull on some clothes.

“Cute jammies,” Roman commented.

Hope rolled her eyes. “Feed.”  
“Alright,” Roman conceded. “I will - if you promise me that you won’t wait for me.”

Hope hesitated. “Why?”

Roman crossed the floor to cup her face. “You said it yourself. You’re sixteen. Maybe when you graduate, you’ll come to Europe, and we’ll pick up where we left off. Maybe we won’t. But I don’t want you putting your life on hold in the meantime, okay?”

Hope sighed. “I promise I won’t wait.”  


“Good.” Roman’s fingers trailed down her throat, his eyes darkening. “You’re sure?”

Hope nodded, tilting her head to give him better access. His fangs pierced her skin, but the pain turned to pleasure almost immediately. The pressure sent a shockwave through her body and she gasped, shattering in his arms.

He pulled back with bloodstained lips, watching her skin knit over. “Did you just …?”  


“Yeah, yeah,” Hope grumbled. “Smug bastard.”

Roman smirked. “Never had that reaction before.”  


“Good.” Hope reached into her drawer again and pulled out a small box. “I want you to hang on to this.”  


“What is it?” Roman asked.

Hope hesitated. “It’s five vials of my blood. It cures the effects of werewolf venom. You cannot tell anyone else,” she added urgently. “Or tell anyone I told you, for that matter. I’m sure Dad would send some, but you’d have a nasty time of it before …” She broke off, silenced by a deep kiss that made her toes curl.

“It’s safe with me,” he said hoarsely. “Thank you.”

Hope smiled weakly, “You’ve got to go, haven’t you?”

Roman checked the time. “I do.”  


“Message me when you land,” Hope said, reluctantly untangling herself from his arms. “And send me photos. Europe’s my post-graduation trip, so I want good ideas, okay?”  


With one last kiss and a whispered goodbye, he was gone.

Hope sat on her bed, listening until she heard the car disappear into the distance. Only then did she allow herself to cry, falling sideways to bury her face in her pillow to muffle her sobs.

Distantly, she was aware of a whispered spell, of her lock clicking, of the door swinging open and closed.

“Oh honey.”

Penelope’s voice just caused her to cry harder, her heart slowly breaking into tiny pieces.

“Move over.”

Hope did as she was told, feeling the mattress dip as her best friend climbed in beside her, wrapping her arms around her.

“It’s okay,” Penelope murmured. “Just let it all out. I’m right here.”


	6. Chapter 6

_“Hope, curfew is in twenty minutes.”_

Hope rolled her eyes. “I know that - it’s not like this was planned. The engine’s completely dead; I’ll have to walk back and get Jed or someone to come and look at it tomorrow.”

Alaric sighed on the other end of the phone. _“Alright. Call me when you’re outside.”_

“I will,” Hope said. “I’ll see you soon.”

In an effort to distract herself from Roman’s departure, Hope had taken to volunteering for every chore Alaric needed help with.

Even when it started getting better, she kept up with some of them - including the weekly drive into town to pick up anything that had inevitably been missed in the grocery run. 

The nearest town was not actually New Orleans but a small place more like Mystic Falls than the French Quarter. It was quieter and easier to park, but when the car failed to start again, it did mean that she was unable to just go home for the night.

Instead, she and her groceries faced a long walk.

She adjusted the bag over her shoulder and took a quick selfie, sending it to Roman.

_Engine failure + grocery shopping = not fun._

Despite the time difference, he answered almost immediately.

_Couldn’t Dr S come pick you up?_

_It’s a Bad Day._

He replied with a face-palm emoji that made her giggle. She had every sympathy for Lizzie’s condition, but when it left her walking for forty minutes in the dark, that sympathy waned somewhat.

As she turned on to the main road, two noises caught her attention - a hammering noise and someone screaming.

Her eyes snapped to the sky, to the full moon high above her.

There was no way there was someone out here without the school knowing.

Was there?

Making a decision, Hope broke into a run, heading for the noise.

It led her to the church, where a boy her age was hammering on the door.

“Raf! Let him go! Raf!”

“What’s going on?” Hope asked breathlessly.

The boy turned, and Hope realised that she recognised him as the server at the diner she had exploded a car for (even if he didn’t know it).

“Peanut-butter milkshake girl?”

“Hope,” she corrected. “What’s going on?”

He hesitated. “It’s my brother. Our foster home are … I don’t know what they’re doing. I think they’re trying an exorcism.”  


“Was he in an accident recently?” Hope asked, setting her bag down.

His brow creased in confusion. “Yeah, a few weeks ago - his girlfriend …”  


“She died,” Hope finished, eyeing the door.

“How’d you …?

“I’ll explain later,” Hope said, tying her hair back. “What’s your name again?”  


“Landon.”

“Okay, Landon - I get the feeling you’re not going to stay out here,” Hope said. “So I need you to stay behind me and do exactly what I say; I promise I’ll explain afterwards. It’s not just your brother that’s in danger.” She didn’t wait for an agreement, blasting the doors open with a muttered spell.

Inside, her worst fears were realised - the boy screaming on the ground was writhing in pain, his eyes glowing yellow.

There was nothing she could do for him; nothing could reverse or undo what he was about to go through.

All she could do was protect the people around him - although it was tempting to leave them to deal with it, looking at the various ‘exorcism tools’ they were holding.

However, with no protection, they would be dead by morning if she did, and it was unfair to leave the poor boy to deal with the aftermath of that.

With another muttered spell, the humans were struck dumb and magically forced out of the church.

“Raf!”

“No!” Hope flung an arm across his chest, holding him back. “You can’t - we need to leave him.” She tried to catch Raf’s eye. “I’m sorry. I’ll explain in the morning but I can’t help you.”

She pushed Landon back out of the church and slammed the doors shut, sealing it with another spell, before turning to the humans.

“Landon, I think I’m going to need to make them forget. If I do that, I probably need to make them forget about you and your brother entirely.”

“That’s fine,” Landon said faintly. “This isn’t exactly out of character.”

“Do I need to be worried about the other people in their care?” Hope asked.

Landon grimaced. “Can you do anything about it?”  
Hope sighed. “No.”

Compulsion would be far easier, far more subtle, and far more specific, but the spell did its job; their eyes glazed over and they wandered off into town.

“Hope?” Landon asked quietly.

Hope sighed, sitting down on the steps of the church. “Your brother’s a werewolf. He’s going through his first transformation. Until he turns back, he won’t have any idea who you are; you’re just going to look like prey.”

“I don’t understand,” Landon said. “I’ve known Rafael my whole life. This has never happened.”

“The werewolf curse is passed down genetically,” Hope said. “It lies dormant until you cause a death.”

“It was an accident,” Landon said, fierce protectiveness in his voice.

Hope smiled sadly. “I’m sure it was. Magic doesn’t care. It’s shitty like that - no grey areas.”

“Oh,” Landon said quietly.

“The Laughlin Academy was specifically set up for werewolves, along with witches and vampires and anything else they come across,” Hope explained.

“So you’re a … witch?” Landon guessed.

Hope smiled. “Well, my grandmother was a witch. My father is a vampire-werewolf hybrid, and my mother is a vampire, which makes me …”  
“A unicorn?” Landon finished.

Hope laughed. “You’re probably not far off. My Aunt Davina coined the term ‘tribrid’ but no one really knows to be honest. I am a witch, but I’m also a werewolf; I just haven’t triggered my curse.” She pulled out her phone again and called Alaric again.

_“Hope?”_

“I’m going to be later than I thought,” Hope said. “There’s a werewolf in the church. I’ve cleared the area and sealed the doors, but I’m sitting outside with his brother.”

_“They had no idea?”_

“None,” Hope answered.

_“Okay, well Lizzie’s settled now,”_ Alaric said. _“I’ll bring a change of clothes out. What size?”_

“Hang on,” Hope said. “Landon, is Rafael about your size?”

Landon frowned. “Uh … yeah?”

“About Henrik’s size,” Hope said into the phone. “Maybe about six inches taller.”

_“I can work with that. I’ll see you in a few.”_

“Okay,” Hope said, hanging up. “Dr Saltzman’s going to bring a change of clothes - the transformation will rip his to shreds.”

“You’re still calling him my brother,” Landon said.

“That’s what you said he was,” Hope pointed out. “Okay, so he’s clearly not your biological brother. I’ve got two cousins - one of them is my uncle’s biological son, the other one is my aunt’s adopted daughter. Mariella is no less my family than Henrik is, just because we don’t share any DNA. You say he’s your brother, then he’s your brother.”

“Thanks,” Landon said quietly, glancing back at the door. “What’s going to happen to him?”  


“He’ll be okay,” Hope said. “I’m told the first transformation is the hardest. He’ll be exhausted tomorrow, maybe a few bumps and bruises, but he’ll be alright. The church is in more danger than he is, quite frankly. I’m sure Dr Saltzman will offer him a place at the Academy.”

The noise of an engine caught her attention and she got to her feet, walking down the path to meet the Academy SUV.

“He okay?” Alaric asked, nodding towards Landon, who was still sitting on the church steps.

“His foster brother’s a werewolf and I just had to make his foster carers forget they both existed,” Hope answered. “Mind you, they were attempting an exorcism at the time, so they’re probably better off.”

Alaric frowned, but didn’t comment, handing her a duffle bag. “Change of clothes.”

“Thanks,” Hope said, raising an eyebrow when he reached back into the car and retrieving a blanket and a thermos with two mugs. “What’s this for?”

“Were you planning on leaving him there?” Alaric asked.

“No,” Hope admitted.

“And what are the chances of him coming with us now?”

“Slim to none,” Hope said.  


“So you’re staying here, aren’t you?” Alaric asked knowingly.

Hope pulled a face, but nodded. “Thanks.”

“I’ll be back in the morning,” Alaric said. “Stay safe.”  


“I always do,” Hope said, shouldering the duffle bag and handing Alaric the groceries. She returned to Landon, sitting down to lean back against the church door. “Come here, I don’t bite.”

Landon moved back to sit right beside her and she tucked the blanket over both of them, opening the thermos to take a sniff. “Hot cocoa?”

“Thanks,” Landon said, taking one of the mugs. “You’re staying here?”

“I’m not leaving you to sit here and worry all night,” Hope said, “and you’re not going to leave him. So, yes, I’m going to stay here.”

***

The sun rose the next morning and Hope opened her eyes, wincing immediately in the bright light. She couldn’t remember falling asleep, but at some point she and Landon had slumped into each other, her head resting on his shoulder, and his resting atop her head.

He woke up as she stretched. “That wasn’t a really weird dream.”  


“No, I’m a witch and your brother’s a werewolf,” Hope answered, standing up. “He’ll be human again now, if you want to take those clothes in to him, and I’ll go and grab coffee. Then we can get out of the church, I can fix up any damage, and then we can figure out where we go from there. What do you want?”

“Oh, you don’t have to …” Landon paused, apparently catching the glint in her eye. “Latte please. Raf will have a black Americano.  


“Oh good,” Hope said. “Black coffee is the best thing for post-transformation. At least I don’t have to talk him into it.”

The nearest coffee shop was on the next street and had only just opened.

While she waited for her order, Hope did a quick search on the church. Thankfully, there were no services scheduled - the church had been out of use for months, which was probably why they had chosen it in the first place.

Reassured that they weren’t going to be surprised by the priest showing up for morning Mass, Hope took the coffees back, to find Landon back outside the church with Rafael.

“Hope, this is Raf,” Landon said. “I haven’t explained.”  


“I wish someone would,” Rafael said weakly. “What the hell happened last night?”

“Long story,” Hope said, handing him a coffee. “Drink - that’ll make you feel better. I’ll take care of this.”  


“How?” Rafael asked blankly.

Landon grinned. “Watch this.”

Hope stepped into the church, taking a look at the damage. “Holy crap, you did a number on it. Okay, here we go.” She closed her eyes and began chanting, repeating the spell over and over again until she felt the atmosphere around her settle.

“Whoa …”

Rafael’s awed whisper caused her to open her eyes, to see that the church was back to the state it had been in the night before.

“Awesome,” Landon said with a grin.

“Thank you.” Hope pulled the church door closed behind her, and almost immediately stumbled.

Landon caught her arm. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Yeah, just used a lot of magic,” Hope said, sitting down on the steps. “Coffee please.”

Landon handed her the cup and she drank half of it in one go, no longer bothered by the temperature.

“Does coffee help with witches?” Landon asked.

“Food would be better,” Hope said. “Caffeine and sugar will keep me going until I can get some breakfast.”

“So you’re a witch,” Rafael said slowly.

“I’m a witch,” Hope agreed. “And you’re a werewolf. It’s passed genetically, stays dormant until a huge life change. From now on, unfortunately, you’ll go through that every month.”

“There’s no way of stopping it?” Rafael asked.

“Sorry,” Hope said. “I’m one too, but I haven’t triggered my curse yet, and I am dreading that.”

“How do you trigger it?” Rafael asked.

Hope hesitated. “Does it matter?”

“How do you trigger it?” Rafael repeated.

Hope sighed. “Magic doesn’t do grey areas. You trigger the curse by being responsible for a death, even if it’s an accident.”

Rafael nodded. “It’s okay. I knew I killed her.”

Hope opened her mouth, but Landon nudged her and shook his head. She got the feeling he had been having this conversation since it happened. “Anyway … the Laughlin Academy was set up for people like us, so Dr Saltzman is on his way to offer you a place, I’d imagine.”

“Not without Landon,” Rafael said immediately.

Hope smiled. “I had a feeling you’d say that.”

“I don’t qualify though, right?” Landon asked. “I mean, I’m … What word do you use?”  
“Human,” Hope answered. “It’s not ideal, but I prefer it to ‘normal’, because that implies the rest of us aren’t. On saying that, I’m actually not normal, so maybe I’m just sensitive.”

“How do we know Landon’s human?” Rafael asked. “I mean, neither of us knew anything about our birth parents, and I had no idea I wasn’t until last night.”

“Okay, well, you would definitely have figured out if you were a vampire,” Hope said. “I suppose you could be a witch or an un-triggered werewolf. Have you ever had anything strange happen? Anything that you’ve wanted to happen and it did?”

Landon was quiet for a few moments. “Not that I can think of … The only odd thing I’ve ever experienced was when you first came to the diner.”

“Dude,” Rafael said, “I am right here.”

“No, I mean …” Landon sighed. “It’s going to sound weird, but … I felt like I already knew you. That’s why I always remembered your order.”

“I just figured it was because it was weird,” Hope said.

“No, peanut butter is not that weird,” Landon said. “Whipped cream on the bottom is though - does it make a difference?”  


“Yeah, if it’s on the bottom, it mixes with the milkshake,” Hope said. “If it’s on the top, you’re just left with whipped cream. It’s odd that you say that though,” she added, “because I had the same thing. That’s why I asked if you’d ever been to the French Quarter.”

“I hadn’t even been in Louisiana that long,” Landon said. “We were in Maine, and we moved down here about two days before we first met - that was my first day.”  
“The whole foster home moved?” Hope asked.

“I bet they were about to get caught for something,” Rafael said.

Landon shrugged. “Either way, never been to the French Quarter.”

Hope couldn’t help noticing that his movement caused the neckline of his shirt to move, revealing a tiny scar that she had a sinking suspicion was a cigarette burn. “Okay, so if you and I had never crossed paths before, there is a possibility that there is something about you that’s supernatural. I can try reading you, if you like?”  


“Please,” Landon said.

“Okay, give me your hand,” Hope said. She closed her fingers around his and closed her eyes.

Everything felt different.

Vampire energy felt ice-cold, like touching a corpse.

Werewolf energy felt hot, like plunging her hand into a fire.

Witch energy surged up to meet her magic, like an old friend she hadn’t seen in a while.

Landon was … different.

“Okay,” she said, releasing his hand. “You’re not a werewolf or a vampire. You _could_ be a witch, if your magic was buried very, _very_ deep. Other than that, I’m not picking anything up, at least not anything I can put my finger on. I’ll speak to Dr Saltzman anyway and see if we can do anything.”

“I’m not going anywhere without him,” Rafael repeated.

“Would it even work if I’m human?” Landon asked.

Hope thought for a second. “Well, I’d say 90% of our classes are regular high school classes. There are a few classes, specific to your abilities, so you’d probably have a gap in your schedule. The issue would probably be social, to be honest - the students tend to split into cliques …”

“Yeah, but regular schools do that,” Rafael said. “I mean, we’ve been ‘the foster kids’ in every school we’ve ever been to.”

“Plus you don’t fit into a group either, right?” Landon asked.

Hope laughed. “No, that’s true. We have our own group that you’re welcome to join. Dr Saltzman should be here … now, actually.” She stood up and jogged down the path to meet the SUV again. “Morning.”  


“Morning,” Alaric said, handing her a package. “Penelope insisted I bring you a breakfast wrap, given the amount of magic she thought you might have done.”

“Oh God bless that girl,” Hope said, taking a large bite. “So …”  


“Not with your mouth full,” Alaric said automatically.

Hope raised an eyebrow and swallowed. “Seriously?”

Alaric gave her a sheepish smile. “Force of habit.”

“Yeah, alright,” Hope said. “Anyway, Rafael’s refusing to go anywhere without Landon. Landon’s human, but …”

“Hope …” Alaric began.

“Hear me out,” Hope said hastily. “He’s human, but I told you about the foster carers.” She lowered her voice. “He’s got a cigarette burn on his shoulder.”

Alaric pulled a face. “I do have a duty of care, I suppose.”

“Mom said that the school was supposed to be for anyone who needed it,” Hope said. “Not just the supernatural.”

Alaric smiled sadly. “That was Jo’s dream, yes.” He sighed. “Alright. I can’t just let him go back to an abusive environment or leave him to live on the streets. You’d better introduce us.”


	7. Chapter 7

To Hope’s relief, Landon settled into the school as easily as Rafael did. 

It helped that Hope and Landon got along like a house on fire - as a general rule at the Laughlin Academy, if Hope Mikaelson was on your side, you were going to be absolutely fine.

Not everyone subscribed to that particular mindset though, and those were the people Hope worried about.

Thankfully, none of them seemed to be causing a problem.

After a few weeks, Hope let herself relax, picking up her paintbrush once more. Unlike her father, she found it almost impossible to paint when she was stressed or anxious about something, preferring to do so when she was in a calmer state of mind.

Her phone buzzed with a message and she opened it to find a photograph of a painting.

A smile crossed her face and she shot back a quick message.

_Try again._

Roman was in Paris at the moment. She had told him that her father had three paintings currently hung in the Louvre, and he was trying to guess which ones.

So far, he’d only found one - then again, it was the one of her mother, so it was probably the most obvious.

There was a knock on her door and she put her phone down. “Come in?”

Rafael stuck his head round the door. “Hey … have you seen Landon?”

“Not since this morning,” Hope answered. “Why?”  


“One of the wolves told me he left,” Rafael said, “except he hasn’t packed anything, or told me.”

Hope dropped her paintbrush in the glass of water on the windowsill. “Who told you?”

The name he gave was of one of the younger students in the school, barely eleven when she had started a few months ago, so Hope approached her with caution, aware of the girl’s heartbeat speeding up as she did so.

“Hi Shayna,” she said gently, sitting down beside her in the library. “Can I talk to you for a second?”  


“I didn’t do anything,” Shayna said hastily. “I swear I didn’t, I’m sorry …”

Beside her, Rafael shifted uneasily, and Hope gave him a quelling glance. “It’s okay, honey,” she said, trying to draw on her mother’s sense of calm. “I’m not mad at you, I just need to ask you a question, okay? Did you see Landon leave the school?”

Shayna nodded, her eyes wide and her body tense, like she was about to bolt.

“Did he leave because he wanted to?” Hope asked.

Shayna hesitated, but didn’t respond.

“Shayna,” Hope said, “I know you’re scared. It’s kind of obvious. The question is - are you scared of me or Dylan?”

Dylan and Jed were constantly at each other’s throats over dominance. They both had the ability to be a certain kind of asshole, but Hope much preferred dealing with Jed.

“He told me to say he’d left,” Shayna whispered. “He said Landon doesn’t belong here.”

Rafael made an angry noise in his throat and Shayna flinched. “I’m sorry I lied. Dylan scares me.”  


“It’s okay,” Hope said, touching her hand gently. “It’s not your fault. You know Mariella, right? Go find her and stick with her; she’ll keep you safe.”

Shayna nodded, hurrying out of the room.

“Come on,” Hope said to Rafael. “Let’s go.”

“I don’t get why so many people listen to Dylan,” Rafael said. “He’s a dick.”  


“He’s one of the alphas,” Hope explained, as they left the school at a run. “I bet he’s headed into the woods.”

“Alphas?” Rafael asked.

“Has no one explained wolf packs to you yet?” Hope asked rhetorically. “When wolves are together, they automatically form a pecking order. Dylan and Jed kind of jostle for alpha here, even though they’re both part of their own packs back home.” As the entered the tree line, she slowed down, putting a hand on his arm to stop him. “Listen.”

“To what?” Rafael asked.

“Just listen,” Hope said. “If we can hear them, it’s going to be easier than searching. Even during the rest of the month, your hearing will be better than a regular …”

She trailed off.

Even without triggering her curse, she was exceptionally tuned in, and she could hear crashes and raised voices through the trees.

Dylan’s voice floated towards them. “I’m doing you a favour! The last guy she spent any time with is six feet under New Orleans - her dad finds out, you’ll be next!”  
“Dylan, stop being such a dick!” Hope yelled. “Landon, head towards my voice!”

“Hope?” Rafael asked.

“Explain later,” Hope said, sprinting to the place where the voice had come from. “Landon!”

Rafael followed her, also yelling his brother’s name, and finally Landon emerged from the trees in front of them, looking a little battered, but otherwise unharmed.

“Thank God …” Hope breathed, but her relief was short-lived; as Landon ran towards them, he stumbled, falling forwards to reveal an arrow sticking out of his back.

Hope screamed, skidding to a halt. 

As Rafael fell to his knees beside his brother, Hope’s own gaze shot to the trees, catching a glimpse of Dylan - with a crossbow.

“ _Prohibere!”_ A jet of light flew from Hope’s hand to wrap around Dylan’s feet, causing them to lock together so he fell.

“Landon? Landon, talk to me!”  


“Raf, breathe,” Hope said shakily, dropping down beside him. “Let me see.”

The arrow was embedded too deeply and it was a good shot - too good for her liking.

Murmuring a spell, she severed the end of the arrow.

“What was that for?” Rafael asked. “We can’t …”  


“Can’t pull it out anyway,” Hope said briskly. “Need to leave it in until we get a doctor; help me roll him so I can check his breathing.”

Once they had Landon on his back, however, it became grimly obvious that things were far worse than she’d thought.

She could see the tip of the arrow, just poking through the skin on the left side of his chest, directly over where his heart would be.

“You know CPR?” Rafael asked.

“I don’t think that’s going to help,” Hope whispered, touching Landon’s face. “Landon, can you hear me?” She pressed her fingers against his neck. “He doesn’t have a pulse, Raf.”  


Rafael shook his head, staring at his brother. “No. No, no, no - he can’t die, Hope. You’re a witch - help him!”

“I …” Hope swallowed hard. “I don’t think I can.” She touched the tip of the arrow and gently drew it up and out of Landon’s body, pressing her other hand down on the wound.

Her whispered spell healed the damage, but he still didn’t move.

“Raf, he’s … He’s gone.”

“He’s not gone!” Rafael’s eyes were starting to glow, a sign that the wolf was close to the surface, despite the time of the month. “Where is he? I’m gonna kill him!”  


“Sit down, or I will make you,” Hope said sharply. “There is one other thing I can try, but you need to promise that you won’t tell anyone I tried it, okay?”

Rafael settled a little and nodded. “I swear.”  


Hope placed her other hand over Landon’s heart as well and closed her eyes. “ _En Dugas, Tuas, Animos. En Dugas, Tuas, Animos. En Dugas, Tuas, Animos. En Dugas, Tuas, Animos_ ”

Her magic was pooling in her hands, but stayed there, refusing to sink into Landon’s body.

After five minutes of chanting, Hope stopped and opened her eyes.

Landon still lay lifeless in front of her.

“What was that?” Rafael asked. “Did it work?”  


“ Resurrection spell,” Hope admitted. “It’s black magic and I’m not supposed to try it, but it didn’t work. I’m so sorry. We need to get Dr Saltzman.”

“Hope!”  


“Speak of the devil,” Hope muttered, getting to her feet. “We’re over here!”  


“I saw you two leave the school from my office,” Alaric said as he approached. “What are you … What happened?”  


“Dylan,” Rafael growled.

Hope grabbed his arm, wrapping her other arm around his waist to restrain him. The action seemed to drain all the fight from him, and he _broke_ , breaking down in her arms.

“I don’t know how he got Landon out here,” Hope said. “But he had a crossbow. He’s over in the trees there - I cast a leg-locking spell on him.”

“Landon …”

“He’s dead,” Hope said, her voice finally breaking. She closed her eyes against the onslaught of tears and turned her face into Rafael’s shoulder, shaking with suppressed sobs.

She heard Alaric go into the trees and haul Dylan to his feet. “Hope, take the spell off.”

Hope sniffled, lifting her head just enough to aim the spell. “ _Finito_.”

“What’s gonna happen to him?” Rafael asked hoarsely.

“Unfortunately, the police won’t be able to contain him at the full moon safely, and a court case could endanger the whole school,” Alaric said grimly. “But he’s certainly not staying. His pack alpha can deal with him.”

Dylan laughed. “You think my alpha is going to believe some witch over me?”  


Hope tightened her grip so Rafael didn’t do anything he’d (probably) regret later. “Given that you’re a Crescent wolf, yes, I do. Because I am older than you, which means that Jackson has known me longer than you, so yes, I do believe he will believe me, especially when Dad helps him go into my head and watch my memory of what just happened.”  


Dylan’s face drained of colour.

“Drama queen,” Hope muttered, but apparently it wasn’t her words that had shocked him.

“Is that supposed to be happening?”

Hope followed his gaze to see that Landon’s body appeared to be … smoking? There was certainly some kind of vapour rising from him.

For a second, they all just stood there, trying to make sense of it, then Rafael turned Hope. “Quick, put him out!”

Hope faltered, completely stumped as to what was happening, but the smoke was starting to get thicker, so she tried the only spell she could think of. “ _Adiuuatiur!_ ”

The spell had no effect.

“It’s not working,” she said numbly. “Why isn’t it working?”  


“I don’t know,” Alaric admitted. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

A split second later, Landon’s body erupted, the heat of the flames forcing her to stumble back, grabbing Rafael’s arm to steady herself.

As fast as the fire had appeared, it died down, leaving no trace it had even been there before - no trace, that is, except for the human-shaped pile of ash.

Hope sucked in a breath, a sob bubbling out of her. “What was that?”  


“I don’t know,” Alaric repeated. “But I don’t think it’s over.”

Under their collective gaze, the ash over where Landon’s hand had been began to move, then crack, then finally a hand broke through. The rest of the ash broke apart then, like some strange human mould, and Landon staggered to his feet, all scrapes and bruises completely healed. “What … What happened?”

Hope shook her head, approaching him slowly. “You were dead.”

“No, I’m not,” Landon said frowning.

“No,” Hope said, touching his shoulder, reassuring herself that she hadn’t just started seeing things. “You _were_ dead.”  


“Is he alive?” Rafael asked. “Or are we talking zombies? Or vampires?”  


“Vampire don’t turn like that,” Hope and Alaric said, almost in unison.

Hope rested a hand over Landon’s heart and closed her eyes. Her magic answered her, and relief flowed through her body, so strong that she almost started crying again, wrapping her arms around his waist.

He hugged her back automatically. “Am I okay?”  


“You’re alive,” Hope whispered. “I have no idea how, but you’re alive.”

Rafael appeared behind her, hugging his brother tightly.

“Okay, let me out - I still need to breathe.” Hope squeezed out from between them and approached Alaric. “You’re still kicking him out, right?”  


“Aw, come on!” Dylan groaned. “All’s well that ends well?”  


“This wasn’t an accident,” Hope said. “That shot was too good to be an accident.”

“Still kicking him out,” Alaric said absently, his eyes fixed on Landon and Rafael.

Hope glanced back at them. “What do you think happened?”  


“Well, he’s clearly not human,” Alaric murmured. “I just have no idea what the hell he is.”


	8. Chapter 8

Hope could feel Landon’s leg jiggling against hers, and clamped a hand down on his knee to stop him.

“Sorry,” Landon muttered.

Hope gave him a smile. “Breathe. They don’t bite.”  


“Bullshit,” Dylan said from the front seat.

“Dylan,” Alaric said warningly.

Dylan rolled his eyes, slumping in his seat. “What are you gonna do? Expel me? Oh, wait, you already did that.”

Hope glared at the back of his head and Landon nudged her.

“Don’t set him on fire.”

“That’s Josie’s trick, not mine,” Hope said under her breath.

“So about your ex being six feet under the Quarter …” Landon began.

“That’s what happens to people Klaus Mikaelson doesn’t like,” Dylan said gleefully. “Apparently he doesn’t like people looking twice at his daughter.”

Hope rolled her eyes, checking the time. She dialled a number on her phone and Roman’s face popped up.

_“Hey! Everything okay?”_

“Everything’s fine,” Hope said, taking great satisfaction in the way Dylan jumped and turned in his seat to stare at her phone. “Did you know my dad killed you and buried you under the French Quarter somewhere?”

_“He did?”_ Roman asked in mock-surprise. _“You’d think I’d have noticed.”_

Hope laughed, leaning into Landon so he was in the picture as well. “This is Landon. We don’t know what he is and my family’s going to try and find out.”

_“Oh,”_ Roman said with a grimace. _“Just be polite and you’ll be fine.”_

“Okay, we’re here,” Alaric said, pulling up outside the Mikaelson compound. “Good luck.”

“Thanks,” Hope said. “We’ll talk later?”

_“Same time, same place,”_ Roman said. _“Good luck, Landon.”_

“Thanks,” Landon said, as the call ended.

Hope hopped out of the car and leaned in the driver’s window. “Call me if you need me to talk to Jackson. I doubt you will.”

“Thanks Hope,” Alaric said. “I’ll text you when I’m done.”

Hope stepped back, watching them drive off towards the bayou. “Okay. Ready?”

Landon looked a little queasy, but nodded. “As I’ll ever be.”

Hope pushed open the front door, stepping into the courtyard. “Mom? Dad?”

“Hope?” Caroline appeared from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel. “Sweetheart, what are you doing here?”  
Hope sighed. “Dr Saltzman said he’d call.”

“Well, he didn’t,” Caroline said. “Come here.”

Hope hugged her mother tightly. “This is Landon; we need some help.”

Caroline smiled at him. “Lovely to meet you, Landon; I’m one of the administrators at the school, so it’s nice to put a face to the name.”

Landon shook her hand. “Likewise, Mrs Mikaelson - although are you sure you’re not Hope’s sister?”

Caroline laughed. “No, I just turned when I was seventeen.”

“You forgot Mom was a vampire, didn’t you?” Hope asked with a grin.

“In my defence, you told me that in the middle of a _lot_ of other stuff,” Landon said.

“Good point,” Hope conceded. “Mom, since Dr S didn’t call - is Aunt Freya in?”

“She is,” Caroline said. “Make sure you stick you head in your dad’s office as well, okay?”  


“Will do,” Hope said, taking Landon by the arm and pulling him up the stairs.

On the second floor, she stopped outside her father’s office (at least that’s what he called it - it was technically an art studio). “Wait here for one second, okay?” She slipped into the room and jumped on her father with no warning. “Hi Daddy!”  


Of course Hope had never been able to surprise her father and, as always, he turned at the last minute, catching her in his arms and spinning her around. “Hello sweetheart. I heard you downstairs; do I not get to meet your friend?”  


Hope sighed. “Only if you’re nice. The whole school already thinks that Roman’s six feet under, and I’m not even dating this one.”

Klaus chuckled. “I promise I’ll be nice, little wolf.”

“Fine,” Hope said, rolling her eyes as she stepped back out into the hall. “Dad, this is Landon Kirby. Landon, this is my dad.”

“Welcome to the French Quarter, Landon.” Klaus shook his hand, his brow furrowing. “Or have you been in the city before?”

“No, sir,” Landon said. “Although Hope’s asked me that before as well.”

Klaus studied him for a second longer then turned to Hope. “You need Freya?”

“Need to figure out what Landon is,” Hope said. “No one at the school can figure it out.”

“Hope, you know you can come to me with problems like this,” Klaus said. “I have been around as long as Freya. Longer if you count the centuries of sleep.”

“Okay,” Hope said. “What dies, bursts into flame and then comes back to life again?”

Her father thought for a moment. “On second thought, go and find Freya.”

Hope laughed as her father vanished back into his office and dragged Landon up to the third floor to Freya’s apartment, knocking quietly on the door.

It opened immediately.

“Hi Aunt Keelin,” Hope said with a smile.

“Well, this is a lovely surprise!” Keelin hugged her. “Come on in; Freya’s just taking care of something.”  


‘Something’ became obvious immediately, when a little blue streak came rushing towards them.

“HOPE!”

Landon started. “What the …?”  


“Baby witches are great fun,” Hope said, scooping up her two-year-old cousin, who had apparently managed to cover himself with blue paint - at least, she hoped it was paint. “Finn, was Mommy trying to give you a bath?”

“Uh huh!” Finlay said, nodding eagerly. “I paint!”  


“I can see that,” Hope said, wiping some of it off of his arm. “You know you’re meant to put the paint on the paper, right?”

“That would be far too easy,” Freya said, emerging from the bathroom. “Finn, get back here please.”

“I’ll clean him up,” Keelin offered. “I think Hope needs your help.”  


“I do,” Hope said. “We do.”

“Thanks love,” Freya said with a sigh. “I owe you one.”  


“Yes, you do,” Keelin said, taking her son from Hope.

Hope murmured a spell and the paint transfer disappeared. “Aunt Freya, this is Landon. Landon, before you ask, doing magic like that on young children isn’t a good idea, hence needing to give him a bath.”  


Landon smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, I was wondering.”

Freya gave her niece a hug and ushered the two of them to sit down. “What can I help you with?”  


“We don’t know what Landon is,” Hope said. “None of the teachers can figure it out.”

“Did you read him?” Freya asked.

Hope nodded. “I couldn’t get anything.”  


Freya frowned. “Okay, well let me try.” She took Landon’s hand and closed her eyes.

Hope watched, nibbling her lower lip nervously, but when Freya let go and opened her eyes again, she just looked puzzled.

“I couldn’t either. What makes you think you’re not human, Landon?”  


“Apparently I came back from the dead a few days ago,” Landon answered.

Freya looked at Hope, who nodded.

“It was … quite something.”

“Okay,” Freya said, pulling her phone out. “Let me get Kol. He’s studied more magic than I’ve had time to.”

Kol turned up a few seconds later, with Davina and Sophie, both of whom embraced Hope as happily as her mother had.

Her uncle waited until they had released her before hugging her himself, pressing a kiss to her head. “Hey trouble. Freya says you have a conundrum.”  


“Yeah, this is Landon,” Hope said. “He … You know what? It might be easier if you watch my memory of it. Landon, is that okay?”  


“Can I see it too?” Landon asked. “I’m curious.”

“Are you sure?” Hope asked. “It wasn’t pleasant.”

Landon hesitated, but nodded. “I need to.”

“Okay.” Hope sat beside him and took his hand, holding out her other hand to Kol.

Once everyone was linked up, Kol took them all into Hope’s mind, to the memory of a few days ago. Hope couldn’t help closing her eyes, but she couldn’t block out the sounds of Landon’s body hitting the ground, Rafael’s desperate begging, or her own painful sobs.

Kol’s hand squeezed hers, bringing her back to the present, and she opened her eyes, relieved to see that they were back in Freya’s apartment.

“Well, that was …” Landon took a shaky breath. “I mean you told me what happened, but …”

Hope smiled sadly. “I know.” She turned to her aunts and uncle, hoping to see some kind of sign that they had a theory.

Unfortunately, Freya, Sophie and Davina all looked as perplexed as she felt.

Kol looked thoughtful, but it did not fill her with confidence. “I assume Alaric has dealt with Dylan?”  


“He’s taking him to Jackson as we speak,” Hope answered.

Kol smirked. “Good. Jackson doesn’t suffer fools.”

Freya shook her head slowly. “I have … I have never seen anything like that.”

“I have a dying memory,” Kol said with a grimace. “I’m sure I’ve read _something_ like it. I just can’t remember where.” He got to his feet and went over to scan Freya’s bookshelves, muttering under his breath.

Hope looked at Davina, who shrugged. “He does this.”

Kol paused in front of one of the books, running a finger down its spine with a frown. “I wonder …” He pulled the book out and opened it, flipping through the pages before coming to a stop. “I wonder …”

Davina raised an eyebrow. “You wonder what?”

“You’ve had no sign of other magic, Landon?” Kol asked.

“No, sir,” Landon answered. “None whatsoever.”  


“Well, we both feel like we met before we met,” Hope said. “Even though he wasn’t even in the same state until two days before.”

Kol nodded. “Have you ever heard of empathic magic?”

Hope frowned. “That’s … Isn’t that the innate gift of sensing how people feel and knowing exactly how to respond to it?”  


“That’s the one,” Kol confirmed.

“It fits,” Hope said slowly. “He’s very good at knowing what to say. You are,” she added before Landon could protest. “You just don’t always have faith that you are. But you are. Does that explain it?”

“Maybe,” Kol said.

Davina ducked her head to see the title of the book. “Honey? That book is called _Myths and Legends of the Occult_.”

“I know,” Kol said.

“Well, the problem with that book,” Davina said, “is that it’s about _myths_ and _legends._ Not fact.”

“Everything is a myth or a legend until it is proven fact,” Kol said.

“That was very deep of you, brother,” Freya said. “Are you feeling alright?”

Kol rolled his eyes and handed the book to Davina. “Here.”

“A phoenix is created when a witch is born ahead of their time,” Davina read. “They are defined by their empathic magic, and upon death, they are reincarnated. Their inherent magic may or may not accompany them, but the empathic magic will never leave. This reincarnation may happen any number of times. Once they reach the time they should have been born, they …” she faltered. “They are born into their final form, whereupon they may gain memories of their past lives and they will gain an immortality unlike any other. Although they can and will die, they will be consistently reborn from the ashes. This is the legend of the phoenix.”

“That does seem to fit,” Sophie said. “And it might explain the feeling that you’d met before.”

“But Hope’s only a year older than me,” Landon said. “So I couldn’t have met her in a previous incarnation, could I?”  


“You might have met Mom,” Hope said, “when she was pregnant with me.”

“You don’t sound convinced,” Landon said.

“I’m not,” Hope said. “Are you sure, Uncle Kol? I mean, that’s a legend. It says so twice.”

“It’s the only answer I’ve got for you,” Kol said. “I don’t have any other theories. That’s the only thing that fits.”

Freya took the book from Davina and read through the description herself. “He does have a point.”

Hope’s phone buzzed. “Dr Saltzman’s on his way back.”

“Here,” Freya said, handing her the book. “Tell him it’s a donation.”

***

Caroline, of course, invited the three of them to stay for dinner, but Alaric turned her down - as Hope knew he would.

The twins’ Sweet Sixteen was coming up, something that Lizzie had been planning since they were about eight, and she was becoming steadily more highly strung the closer it got, so it wasn’t a surprise that Ric wanted to get back to the girls sooner rather than later.

When they got back to the school, Ric went to check on Lizzie before taking the book to his office to examine.

Hope headed straight to her room, a new set of paints tucked away in her pocket, which her father had slipped to her when he hugged her goodbye (which he always did).

Landon followed her. “Hey, can we talk?”  


“Yeah, of course,” Hope said, tapping her fingers against her door to release the locking spell.

“Um, can I come in?” Landon asked, lingering in the doorway.

“If you couldn’t, I wouldn’t have kept walking,” Hope said. “I told you they don’t bite.”

“Yeah, about that,” Landon said. “Why is everyone so scared of them? They seemed fine to me.”  


“My family has a … reputation,” Hope said with a sigh. “My dad’s side, that is. They were born over a thousand years ago.”  


“Holy crap,” Landon muttered.

“When you’ve been alive for that long, and you can’t be killed, death … kind of becomes everyone else’s problem,” Hope said. “My ex might not be six feet under, but most of Aunt Rebekah’s exes are. And not just because she outlived them. My father is the monster that the monsters are afraid of.”  


“Well, he didn’t seem like much of a monster to me,” Landon said. “And he obviously adores you.”

Hope smiled. “I’ve always been a daddy’s girl. Did you just want to ask me about my family?”

“No, I wanted to ask you about the whole ‘feeling like we already knew each other’ thing,” Landon said. “Do you … Do you think it’s because we … like each other?”  
Hope froze. “Do you?”

“No,” Landon said quickly. “I mean, yes. I mean …”  


Hope just about managed a smile. “It’s a yes-no question.”  


Landon sighed. “Yes, of course I like you. You’re smart and you’re funny and you’re probably the most caring person I know. I thought the reason why you jumped out at me was because I _liked_ you, but … I mean, you’re gorgeous. I’m just … I don’t think that’s it.”

Hope relaxed a little. “Me neither. Don’t get me wrong - you’re great, it’s just …”  


“Yeah,” Landon agreed quietly.

“My Aunt Elena swears that she has two soulmates,” Hope said. “Her husband and her brother-in-law. But her brother-in-law is like her platonic soulmate. Maybe that’s what this is.”

“Maybe,” Landon agreed.

“You already knew I didn’t feel that way, didn’t you?” Hope asked.

“Well, if I am a phoenix I apparently have that gift,” Landon said. “Also, it’s kind of obvious that you’re in love with someone else.”

Hope sighed. “Look, Roman left months ago. Yes, we still talk. Yes, we’re still friends. Yes, I still care about him. I’m not in love with him.”

Landon smiled sadly. “I’m not talking about Roman.”

Hope frowned. “Then who are you talking about?”

“If you don’t know,” Landon said, “then it’s not my place to tell you.”


	9. Chapter 9

Hope checked her reflection once more, half hoping to find some kind of flaw that would mean that she couldn’t go.

The twins’ 16th birthday party had been the talk of the school for the last week. Josie had specifically sought out Hope to insist that she come.

So there she was, in a dark purple ballgown, trying not to think about all the times Lizzie had talked about her Sweet Sixteen and all the birthday parties they had shared before things went south.

There was a soft knock on her door and she turned away from the mirror to open it.

“Why do I have to wear a tux?” Landon asked, tugging at his neckline.

“Because Lizzie is extra,” Hope said, straightening his tie. “Thank you so much for this.”  


“Hey, what are friends for?” Landon said with a smile. “You look beautiful, by the way.”

“Thanks.” Hope took his arm and they made their way downstairs to the foyer. The party itself was going to be spread through several rooms, but Lizzie - of course - wanted her big entrance, so - of course - everyone had to gather at the bottom of the staircase and wait for them to arrive.

Penelope was waiting for them, tapping her foot impatiently. “I had to talk Josie into this.”  


Hope sighed. “She didn’t want to?”  


“She wanted to just come and wait with the rest of us,” Penelope said. “Like it’s not her birthday as well.”  


“Josie’s never been as keen on being the centre of attention,” Hope said.

“Yeah, because Lizzie never gives her a chance to,” Penelope muttered.

The music changed and Lizzie appeared at the top of the stairs, her smile almost eclipsing the fairy lights around her.

Hope couldn’t help the wistful smile that crossed her face and Landon squeezed her hand. When she glanced at him, he was looking at her with a strange smile that she didn’t really want to think about right now.

She also didn’t really want to think about the way her chest ached when Lizzie looked straight past her like she wasn’t even there.

Under the applause and whistles, Josie followed Lizzie down the stairs, her red satin gown a sharp contrast to Lizzie’s blue, and walked straight into Penelope’s embrace.

“Happy Birthday, Jo-Jo,” Penelope whispered.

Hope hugged Josie in her turn, repeating her words.

“Thank you,” Josie said, touching the necklace that now rested against her collarbone. “It’s beautiful.”  


“You’re welcome,” Hope said. “It’s supposed to make quiet things heard.”

“Outdo me, why don’t you?” Penelope grumbled good-naturedly.

“Well, I loved your present too,” Josie said. “But I can’t wear it to a party.”  


“Do I want to know?” Hope asked.

Josie and Penelope looked at each other. “No.”

***  
The party was a huge success. As Josie finally made her way upstairs with Penelope, she heard Lizzie calling her name.

“Go on,” she said. “I’ll meet you in your room.”

Penelope hesitated, but gave her a kiss and left Josie to deal with her sister.

“You’re really going to spend tonight with Satan?” Lizzie asked. “It’s our birthday.”  


“Lizzie, we have done _everything_ your way today,” Josie said. “ _I_ want to spend some time with my girlfriend.”  


“Hey, I asked your opinion,” Lizzie said. “You never said a word.”

“Would you have listened if I did?” Josie asked.

Lizzie’s brow creased. “Of course I would. Jose …”  


“Am I interrupting something?”  


Josie’s face lit up. “Caroline! I didn’t think you’d made it!”

Caroline smiled, giving her a hug. “We had something crop up, but I would never miss your sixteenth birthday.”

Lizzie dropped her gaze, murmuring a hello.

“I have something for you both,” Caroline said.

“But we got your present this morning,” Josie protested. “It was beautiful.”

Caroline smiled sadly. “This isn’t from me. It’s from your mom.”  


That got Lizzie’s attention, her eyes snapping to meet Caroline’s. “From Mom?”

Caroline nodded, pulling two flash drives from her pocket. “There’s one for each of you. When your mom found out that there was nothing that could be done, she made a series of recordings for me to give you at certain points in your lives. Sweet Sixteen is the first one.”

Josie took the flash drive with her name on it, her fingers closing tightly around it. “Thank you.”  


“Thank you,” Lizzie echoed quietly.

“You’re welcome,” Caroline said. “You two know where to find me if you need me.”  


“Come on then,” Lizzie said to her sister as Caroline walked away.

“No,” Josie said. “I want to watch this on my own.”

Lizzie opened her mouth to argue, then sighed. “Fine, whatever.” She turned on her heel and stalked off to their room, slamming the door behind her.

She turned the flash drive over and over in her hand, contemplating waiting until tomorrow so she could watch it with her sister.

Then again, their mother had given them two separate messages.

The more she thought, the more she realised that maybe Josie was right. Maybe they should watch them separately.

Lizzie didn’t particularly want to watch it _alone_ , but there was no one she wanted to share it with, aside from Josie.

(Or Hope, but she didn’t want to think about that.)

She plugged the flash drive into her laptop and her mother’s face popped up on the screen. _“Happy Birthday, Lizzie-Lou.”_

Lizzie’s hand shot out and paused the video, a sob bubbling out of her throat. No one had called her that since her mother had passed.

How had she forgotten her mother’s voice?

Taking a deep breath, she pressed play again - if she didn’t now, she never would.

_“In an ideal world, I would be sitting next to you right now, but I know that’s next to impossible. I’m trying to make sure I tell you and your sister everything you might need to know, but that’s not easy. You’re so young still.”_

Jo paused, wiping a tear away. _“At the moment, you’re avoiding all conversations that include anything about my illness. You get that from me, I’m afraid. My brothers and sister missed my entire pregnancy, and the first eighteen months of your lives, because I was too scared to talk to them. It’s easier to avoid it than face the worse case scenario. I regret that so much. You’re in no state for me to tell you all of this now; I don’t think you’re going to listen. So I’ll tell you now._

_There will be times when you’ll have a conversation you’re scared to have. When you’ve convinced yourself that the worst case scenario is the truth. Have that conversation, Lizzie. I love you.”_

Lizzie let out a shaky breath. “Dammit, Mom …” she muttered. “Since when were you psychic?”

***

The knock on the door startled Hope - her mother had left and Josie was with Penelope. It was unlikely anyone else would be visiting at this time of the evening. “Come in.”

She wasn’t expecting Lizzie.

“Hi,” Hope said numbly.

Lizzie had kicked off her heels, but she was still wearing her dress, unlike Hope, who was in her pyjamas. “Hi.”  


“Um, happy birthday,” Hope said. “Can’t remember if I said that already.”  


“You did, at breakfast,” Lizzie said. “I just didn’t answer. So how come Josie got a present this year and I didn’t?”  


Hope rolled her eyes. “I’ve given you a present every birthday and Christmas for the last four years, and it always ends up in the trash.” She turned back to the task of make-up removal. “Did you want me, or are you just seeking me out to be a bitch now?”

In the mirror, she could see Lizzie bristling, but for the first time in four years, the younger girl took a breath and settled. “Mom left me a message for my birthday. It cut a little too close to home.”  


“Oh?”

Lizzie sighed, folding her arms across her chest. “Yeah, I’ve been avoiding this conversation for four years. I want to know why.”

Hope waited, but Lizzie didn’t elaborate. “Why what?”

Lizzie rolled her eyes. “You know what.”

“No, I really don’t,” Hope said. “The only thing I can think of is whatever happened four years ago, and if anything _you_ owe _me_ an explanation. You turned your back on me for no reason.”

“No … You betrayed me!” Lizzie protested. “How is that no reason?”  


“How did I betray you?” Hope demanded, turning back to face her. “Because I left? My room burnt to a crisp, Lizzie - I didn’t exactly have a choice! I called and I texted and you ignored me!”

“You promised me!” Lizzie shouted. “You swore that you wouldn’t tell anyone!”  


Hope flicked her fingers, preventing the rest of the school from hearing the argument. “Lizzie, I have no idea what you’re talking about. The only promise I made like that was when you …” She trailed off, staring at Lizzie with something akin to horror. “You told me about the diagnosis. Is that what you mean?”  


“How do you forget telling the whole freaking school that I’m crazy?” Lizzie asked bitterly.

“First of all, you’re not crazy,” Hope said. “Secondly, I never said a word, Lizzie, I swear! I didn’t even tell Mom, even though she was the one who gave your dad Dr O’Connell’s number in the first place!”

Lizzie stared at her. “Why didn’t … Why didn’t you just confront me then?”

“I thought you’d heard one too many stories about my family,” Hope admitted. “I guess I was too scared to have that conversation as well.”

Lizzie seemed to deflate in front of her. “I’m so sorry.”  


“Hey,” Hope said softly. “If you really thought I did that, then you hating me all these years makes perfect sense. But I would never have taken that promise lightly, Lizzie. Even if we weren’t friends, with a father and grandmother like mine, I’m probably not immune to those issues myself. What I don’t understand is why you thought I’d do that in the first place.”  


“Josie told me,” Lizzie whispered. “She must have heard the rumours and assumed it must have been you.”  


Hope hesitated. “That doesn’t make any sense though. She told me she didn’t know why you suddenly hated me, and …” she froze, her mind connecting dots to form a picture she really didn’t like.

“And what?” Lizzie asked.

“I asked her,” Hope murmured, wide-eyed. “I heard the rumours too and I asked her, because you weren’t talking to me. She told me _you_ made the decision to tell everyone.”

Lizzie seemed to hold her breath. Just as Hope was about to reach out on her, the younger girl turned on her heel.

“Where are you going?” Hope asked.

“Josie,” Lizzie said through gritted teeth. “We need to talk.”


	10. Chapter 10

Penelope stroked her girlfriend’s hair, feeling her silent sobs. Her mother’s video had been wonderful, but emotional.

Josie was just beginning to settle, her breathing evening out into sleep, when someone began hammering on the door.

“Josie? Josie, I know you’re in there! We need to talk.”

Josie started awake and Penelope cursed under her breath, getting up to yank the door open. “Is this really necessary, Saltzman?”  


“Back off, Satan,” Lizzie growled, pushing past her. “You lied to me!”

“Lizzie, what are you talking about?” Josie asked.

“You told me Hope told the school I was bipolar,” Lizzie said, her voice shaking. “Why?”

“I didn’t …” Josie sighed. “I didn’t just lie. I started the fire.”

“Why would you do that?” Lizzie asked. “Hope was our friend!”  


“It was an accident,” Josie said, more to her shoes than to Lizzie. “I had this crush on her.” She gave Penelope an apologetic look, but her girlfriend only shrugged.

“She’s hot; who wouldn’t?”

“I slipped a note under her door to tell her,” Josie said. “Then I realised what a stupid idea that was so I tried to get the note back, but I couldn’t. I was only aiming for the note.”  


“Josie, if it was an accident, why not just admit it?” Lizzie asked. “Dad spent almost all summer checking all of the electrical wiring in case it happened again.”

“I didn’t want anyone to know,” Josie said. “I don’t have accidents like that. After she left, you made some comment about me being obsessed with her and I panicked. If you found out I liked her …”  


“Why would that matter?” Lizzie asked.

“Because whenever I like someone, you always go after them,” Josie said exasperatedly, “and you always win.”  


“Okay, I do not do that,” Lizzie said. “Exhibit A, right here.” She gestured in Penelope’s direction. “I have never gone after people I know you like. I have talked to them, yeah, but I don’t go after them. So you decided the best solution was to tell me that Hope had stabbed me in the back?”  


“It was the first thing I could think of to convince you I didn’t like her,” Josie said.

“What, you couldn’t just say something like ‘don’t be silly, she’s like my sister’?” Lizzie asked. “Wait a second, in that case, how did everyone else find out?”

Josie didn’t answer and didn’t meet her eyes.

“Josie. How did everyone else find out?” Lizzie repeated.

“I realised you’d figure out that I lied if no one else knew,” Josie said quietly. “So I told them.”

Lizzie stared at her.

“Everything’s fine,” Josie said hastily. “It’s all worked out fine - no one thinks any less of you for it.”

Lizzie took a shaky breath, the lights flickering above her, and turned to Penelope. “I know you hate me, but just … keep her away from me for a bit.”

***

Hope grabbed her phone as a text came in.

_P: WTF? L going ur way I think - will need u. I got J. x_

Whatever had happened, it had Penelope worried about Lizzie. 

That in itself was concern.

Hope pulled her door open to go looking for her, but she didn’t have to look far - Lizzie was right outside. “What happened?”

Lizzie burst into tears.

Automatically, Hope wrapped her arms around her, drawing her inside. “It’s okay,” she murmured. “We’ll get through it together.”

“You don’t understand,” Lizzie sobbed. “She l-l-lied to me and she t-t-told everyone so I wouldn’t realise it.”

Hope bit back the curse that threatened her composure, burying her own hurt and anger in lieu of trying to soothe Lizzie’s. “Come on.”

While Lizzie told her story, Hope helped her change out of her dress, gently cleansing her face of make-up and tears.

Finally Lizzie fell silent, while Hope ran a brush carefully through her hair.

It was a practiced ritual from a time before the diagnosis, when Lizzie’s episodes were still a mystery and when Josie had no idea how to handle them.

“I’m so sorry,” Lizzie whispered.

Hope smiled sadly, setting the brush down to scrape Lizzie’s hair back into the braid she preferred to sleep with. “I’m sorry too.”

Lizzie leaned back against her, closing her eyes. “I should have confronted you as soon as she said it, but it … it hurt too much. You were one of the constants in my life and the thought that you would do that … it was paralysing. Kind of like this.” She sniffled. “And she thinks it’s fine! Everyone’s fine with it, she says - yeah, right!”

Hope winced. “They are, actually. I think because they know there’s a reason now. When you’re having a bad day, they know why, and that it’s not just you being, you know, a bitch. But that doesn’t let her off,” she added hastily.

“They’re okay?” Lizzie asked in a small voice.

“I’ve heard maybe three people say something bad over the last four years,” Hope said. “Always newbies, and they get shut down _fast_. Even Pen goes up to bat for you on that one. Says she doesn’t need to hold your brain chemistry against you, because she’s got plenty of other reasons.”

“Great,” Lizzie muttered, wiping her eyes. “Still ,what does it say about me if my _own sister_ …”

“That’s enough,” Hope said, gently but firmly. “Here.” She reached into her dressing table drawer and withdrew a small package. “Happy Birthday.”  


“Hope …” Lizzie began.

“I have been trying to give you this for four years,” Hope said with a smile. “It won’t work for anyone but you.”

Conceding, Lizzie tore off the paper, yellowed from years of sitting in limbo, to find a small box. Inside was a necklace, a fine silver chain with a delicate heart-shaped pendant. “It’s beautiful.”  
“It’s charmed,” Hope said. “May I?”

Lizzie nodded, lifting her braid away from her neck. “Charmed?”  


“You told me once that the bipolar makes your brain lie to you and tell you that no one cares,” Hope said, fastening the necklace around her neck. “This will warm up whenever someone thinks something good about you. Hopefully that will give you a bit of an extra defence against that.”

Lizzie’s eyes met hers in the mirror, and then she turned, catching Hope’s hand before she could move away. “Thank you.”  


“You’re welcome,” Hope whispered.

Lizzie stood, a head taller than Hope even without her heels, and leaned down to press her lips against Hope’s.

Her first kiss with Roman had made nerves blossom in her stomach like butterflies. This was … This was coming home.

Hope closed her eyes, pressing into the kiss for a second, before pulling away. “Lizzie, now is not the time to be doing anything you might regret tomorrow.”

“It’s not,” Lizzie said. “It wasn’t just Josie. I had a crush on you, had done since I was ten, That was part of the reason I was such a bitch - it just wouldn’t go away, even though I thought you’d betrayed me in the worst way.” She sighed. “Maybe Josie knew that and that’s why …”  


“You wouldn’t have made a move if you knew how Josie felt,” Hope said immediately. “I don’t care what she says - I have never seen you go after someone she likes.”

Lizzie smiled sadly. “I wouldn’t have said anything anyway. We were friends; I would never have risked losing that. I guess I’ve got nothing to lose now.”

“You have never lost me,” Hope said softly. “I have always been right here, Lizzie. I just think we should have this conversation in the morning, when we’re not both reeling from the truth.”  


“I haven’t lost you?” Lizzie asked.

“You’re never going to lose me,” Hope said, holding up her hand. “Til the bitter end, remember?”  


Lizzie finally gave her a true smile, linking their pinkies together like they did when they were young. “Always and forever.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Josie has issues at the moment. She has reasons. They will become clear.

Lizzie woke first the next morning, Hope’s arm flung over her waist. The pain caused by Josie’s admission still lingered, and she slipped out of Hope’s embrace so as not to wake her.

Thankfully, their birthday had fallen on a Friday this year, so there was no reason to drag Hope out of bed. As she brushed her teeth, she contemplated going downstairs to grab some breakfast and coffee, but ultimately thought better of it - the last thing she wanted to do was run into Josie right now.

She didn’t immediately go back to bed though, catching sight of the easel set up near the window, a canvas set up.

Lizzie wandered over, curious to see Hope’s latest work, but she was startled at what she saw - her own face smiled out at her. 

It was clearly unfinished, but her hair and make-up suggested that Hope had started painting after the party yesterday - that, or she had stayed awake after she had coaxed Lizzie into sleep last night.

“You’re very paintable.”

Lizzie jumped, glancing back to see that Hope was blinking sleepily at her. “It’s beautiful.”

Hope shrugged. “Like I said.”

“So I know you’ve only just woken up,” Lizzie said. “But it’s tomorrow, I’m calmer, and I still want to kiss you. How about that talk?”  


Hope yawned. “Come back to bed?” She meant it innocently enough, but Lizzie’s cheeks did turn a little darker as she did as requested.

Hope shifted to lie on her side, facing her. “I had a crush on you too. I felt really guilty about it.”

“Why?” Lizzie asked.

“I thought you and Josie were supposed to be like my little sisters,” Hope said. “And Josie was. But you … You just got really pretty all of a sudden. And then … After everything, I really thought I’d got over it. I never walked away, not really, but I thought I’d got over that aspect of my feelings for you. And then you walked into that party yesterday and … I mean maybe I was just in denial. I paint you often enough.” She laughed. “Landon figured it out before I did.”

“Right,” Lizzie said quietly. “You and Landon … Sorry, I forgot …”

Hope touched her hand, breaching the no-man’s land between them. “There is no ‘me and Landon’. We’re just friends.”

Lizzie’s eyes lit up. “So … if you’re single … and I’m single … and we’ve both got these crushes that never went away …”  


“I will not lose you again, Lizzie,” Hope said. “That has to come before anything.”

“Of course,” Lizzie agreed immediately. “The last four years … I mean, I imagine they were worse for you …”  


“Let’s not play that game,” Hope murmured. “We both could have said something. Let’s leave it at that.”

Lizzie sighed, but nodded. “I know I can get jealous. And I’ll get insecure. And I’ll second guess why you want anything to do with me, and I promise I’ll try to remember that it’s because my brain lies to me.”

“I promise I’ll try to remember that too,” Hope said. “But I need you to tell me what’s going on in your head, because I’m not a mind-reader.”

“I promise,” Lizzie whispered.

Hope smiled, lifting a hand to cup her face. “Good,” she breathed, the word ghosting across Lizzie’s cheek, and then Hope was kissing her.

Maybe things were going to be okay, after all.

***

Hope’s 17th birthday dawned bright and cold and she was woken by a series kisses trailing down her throat and across her collarbone.

A smile touched her face but she didn’t open her eyes.

“Happy Birthday,”Lizzie murmured against her skin.

Hope hummed in agreement.

The mattress shifted and Lizzie’s weight suddenly settled on top of her; Hope’s eyes flew open.

“Good morning,” Lizzie said with a mischievous smile. “I thought you were about to go back to sleep.”  


“Well, I’m wide awake now,” Hope said, tugging her down to kiss her.

Dimly, she heard Penelope’s voice in the corridor, but she was still startled when her bedroom door flew open.  


“Happy - What the hell?!”

Lizzie squeaked, jerking away from Hope, and would have fallen off the bed, but Hope grabbed her waist to steady her.

“Good morning Josie.”  


“Like I said,” Penelope said tiredly, “you should probably knock.”  


“How long as this been going on?!” Josie demanded.  


“Nine days,” Hope said, a little coldly.

Josie laughed humourlessly. “Are you serious? I tell you I had a crush on her and you immediately go after her?”  


“No, you told me that you’d lied about her stabbing me in the back,” Lizzie shot back. “What does it matter to you anyway? I don’t remember you being upset when whats-his-name was around.”  


“Roman,” Hope said, even though she knew full well that Lizzie remembered his name.

“That was different,” Josie said. “You’re my _sister_ , Lizzie - there’s a _code_!”

Lizzie bristled and Hope felt her magic react to it, flowing into her girlfriend like a power pack. “Hey, look at me. Lizzie, look at me.”

Lizzie’s eyes darted to hers. “She …”  


“I know, babe,” Hope said soothingly. “Don’t rise to it. Penny, can you …?”  


“On it,” Penelope said, grabbing Josie’s arm. “Come on.”  


“But she …” Josie began.

“As your girlfriend, should I be worried that you’re so upset that your sister is dating someone you swear blind you don’t have feelings for?” Penelope asked.

“Pen, that is so not the point,” Josie protested, as she was steered out of the room.

“I’m not letting you ruin Hope’s birthday,” Penelope said, pulling the door shut behind them.

Lizzie sighed. “The rest of the school is going to find out.”  


“Is that so bad?” Hope asked gently. “I know we said that we wanted to keep this between us for a while, but … I’m okay if you are.”

So they came down to breakfast hand-in-hand, bracing themselves for the reaction. 

No one batted an eyelid.

Landon did, however, give Hope a very smug, “Told you so.”  


“Shut up,” Hope said.

Landon laughed. “Happy Birthday.”

The rest of the table echoed him and Hope smiled. “Thanks guys.”

“Head’s up,” Lizzie said, tearing one of her pastries in half and dropping half of it on Hope’s plate. “Josie also knows and she is not happy.”  


“How come?” Rafael asked.

“It’s a long story,” Lizzie grumbled.

“Post!”

“Hogwarts gets owl deliveries,” Landon said. “We get a designated student rota.”  


“Yeah, well, the students don’t poop all over my breakfast,” Lizzie said. “Although owls would be super cute.”

A very large package came wobbling towards them, apparently all by itself.

“Happy Birthday, Hope!”

“Pedro, that’s almost bigger than you are,” Hope protested, rescuing the package. “But thank you very much for bringing it to me.”

“You’re welcome.” Pedro hugged her around the waist. “Are you having a party too?”

“No, but Mom and Dad are coming to take me out to dinner tonight,” Hope said. “I’ll have a party next year for my eighteenth, okay?”  


“Okay! Gotta go, I have more parcels!”

“Alright, who gave him sugar?” Lizzie asked.

Hope watched him for a second longer. “No, that’s just Pedro.”

Pedro was one of the youngest students, seven years old and cute as a button, and Hope and Lizzie both had a particular soft spot for him.

“What’s in the package?” Lizzie asked.

Hope lifted the lid. The first thing she saw was a beautiful flower bouquet - roses and lilies all tied together with dark green leaves.

She lifted that out, passing it to Lizzie to hold, causing Rafael to let out a low whistle.

Underneath the flowers was a layer of tissue paper. Underneath that was a deep purple satin dress, clearly designer, judging by what little she could see of the label.

“Oh, that’s gorgeous!” Lizzie breathed. “Your parents have very good taste.”  


Hope pulled the card out from within the flowers, and her heart almost stopped.

“What is it?” Lizzie asked.

“Um, it’s not from my parents,” Hope said slowly. “It’s from Roman.”  


“Oh,” Lizzie said quietly.

Hope glanced at Lizzie. “I should probably take this up before class. Lizzie, you coming?”  


“Yeah, of course,” Lizzie said absently, following Hope out of the dining room.

“Are you okay?” Hope asked.

“I’m fine,” Lizzie said, almost automatically.

“Really?” Hope asked. “You don’t look fine.”

Lizzie didn’t respond, and Hope let it go for the time being, until they reached her room.

She pushed the door closed behind her, setting the box on her bed.

“Lizzie?”  


“I’m fine,” Lizzie repeated.

“You’re not fine,” Hope said. “You’re upset. Talk to me, remember?”  


“It’s your birthday,” Lizzie said.

Hope sighed, pulling out the dress to hang it up. “Look, I’d rather you talk to me now, than bottle it up and second guess yourself until you explode later.”

Lizzie touched the dress softly. “Do you still love him?” She asked in a small voice.

“Not the way I did,” Hope said. “I do still love him, I probably always will, but I’m not _in_ love with him. And he’s not in love with me.”  


“That is not a platonic gift,” Lizzie said.

Hope pulled out her phone and held it out. “Here.”  


Lizzie frowned. “What’s this for?”

“The last messages between me and him,” Hope said. “I want you to read them.”  


“I trust you,” Lizzie insisted.

“I know,” Hope said. “But I want you to read them.”

Slowly, Lizzie took the phone and opened the messages.

_H: Need 2 tell u something_

_R: U & Lizzie?_

_H: How did u know?_

_R: U haven’t stopped talking about her._

_R: Happy for u._

_R: Just remember not to let her walk over you._

“I mean, he doesn’t sound thrilled,” Lizzie said.

“Text is not exactly the best conveyor of emotion,” Hope pointed out. “I know him. He’s happy.”

“What exactly does he mean?” Lizzie asked.

“Well, you know how when you were having a bad day, hot cocoa used to appear in your room, and someone always made sure to copy class notes for you, and there were little chocolates in your bag?” Hope asked.

“Yeah,” Lizzie said slowly.

“It was me,” Hope admitted. “It used to piss him off that I kept doing it, even on days when you’d been awful to me.”  


Hope’s phone rang in Lizzie’s hand before she could respond, and she thrust it at Hope. “It’s him.”  


Hope smiled and answered on speakerphone. “Hi Roman.”  


_“Happy Birthday!”_

“Thank you,” Hope said. “Got your present this morning. Lizzie’s worried you’re trying to steal me away.”

Roman laughed. _“Trust me, if I’m trying to steal you, she’ll know it. But only the flowers are from me. I meant to call earlier to catch you before the mail. The dress is from your Aunt Rebekah - she commissioned it from a designer in Paris and asked me to ship it for her.”_

“That makes much more sense,” Hope said. “I thought it was a little too sophisticated for you.”

_“Ouch.”_

“Well, the flowers are beautiful,” Hope said. “So thank you.”

_“You’re welcome,”_ Roman said. _“I have a meeting to get to, but enjoy your day, and we’ll talk soon, yeah?”_

“Absolutely,” Hope said. “See you later.” She hung up. “Mystery solved.”

Lizzie’s entire body had relaxed. “Thank you for bearing with me.”

“Always,” Hope said, kissing her. “I’m going to grab a vase and get these flowers into water before class.

Lizzie caught her arm. “I love you.”

Hope smiled. “I love you too.”


	12. Chapter 12

Josie still wasn’t talking to Lizzie, which worked out fine, because Lizzie didn’t particularly want to talk to Josie.

In fact, Josie wasn’t talking much to anyone, because they were all ‘taking Lizzie’s side’, including their father.

Alaric requested some counselling sessions, but Miss Tig couldn’t bring Josie round on that front either, although Lizzie swore blind that Emma hated her, so she was convinced she was riling Josie up intentionally.

And even Penelope was in Josie’s bad books, which meant that Hope had an angry girlfriend, who was pretending she wasn’t miserable, and a miserable best friend, who was pretending she wasn’t angry. 

So when Caroline suggested Lizzie accompany them to Mystic Falls for Liz’s birthday in February, Hope was quietly relieved

Despite being in her late sixties, Liz was still the town sheriff for another few months, but by now all she was doing was training her replacement.

This still took up a lot of her time though and she was running late, so Caroline treated the girls to dinner at the Mystic Grill before going to see her mother.

“Caroline!”

Caroline smiled, hugging Jeremy as he rounded the bar. “Hi Jer.”

“Miss me already?” Jeremy asked with a grin.

“Obviously,” Caroline said, raising a hand to greet Jeanette, who was taking orders across the room. “Mom’s birthday.”  


Jeremy froze. “Jeanette?!” He hissed.

“I’ve already got her a card and a gift,” she answered under her breath.

Jeremy relaxed. “Lifesaver, I swear to God.”

“Don’t you forget it, Gilbert.”

Jeremy shook his head, giving Lizzie a hug. “And how is little sister number one?”

Lizzie shrugged. “Getting there.”

“Hi Uncle Jer,” Hope said, hugging him. “It’s really quiet without you and Uncle Kol driving Aunt Davina round the bend.”

“Not just Davina,” Jeanette said, passing the orders through the window to the kitchen. 

“By the way, Care,” Jeremy said, “how come you look …?”

Caroline fingered her necklace. “Gift from Davina.”  


The necklace was charmed, so hopefully no one would be asking Caroline why she looked no older than her teenage daughter.

“That would have solved our problem,” Jeanette said to Jeremy.

“Temporarily,” Jeremy said, sliding an arm around her waist. “I don’t regret a second. Even if it does mean dealing with New Orleans food for six months every year.”

“Okay, we’re just going to grab a table,” Caroline said hastily, “and let you two have this debate for the fiftieth time.”

It wasn’t long after they’d sat down, before another voice intruded.

“Oh my Lord - Caroline Forbes, is that you?!”

Caroline pulled a face only visible to Hope and Lizzie, before standing with a bright (fake) smile. “Tina! It’s Caroline Mikaelson, now actually.”

“Oh congratulations!” Tina trilled. “I did hear on the grapevine - I’m guessing one of these young ladies is your daughter?”

“This is Hope,” Caroline said. “And her girlfriend, Lizzie. This is Tina Fell, an old schoolfriend.”  
“Oh, it’s Tina Martin now,” Tina said.

“Congratulations,” Caroline said, with more sincerity than Tina had managed. “That would be … Richard Martin?”

“That’s right,” Tina said, beaming. “Three kids, two boys and a girl.”  
“Oh, lovely,” Caroline said.

“So are you in town for Miss Mystic Falls?” Tina asked.

“No, it’s Mom’s birthday tomorrow,” Caroline said. “Also, it’s not like Hope qualifies; I’m fairly sure Miss Mystic Falls has to, you know, live in Mystic Falls.”

“Such a shame,” Tina said. “My daughter’s competing this year; it would be like history repeating itself.”  


“Oh, did you two compete at the same time?” Lizzie asked innocently. “Who won?”

Tina’s smile became a little fixed. “Caroline did.”  


“It was a very close call,” Caroline said kindly.

“Anyway, it was lovely to see you, Caroline,” Tina said. “We must do lunch.”  


“Absolutely,” Caroline agreed. As soon as Tina was out of earshot, her smile dropped. “We are never doing lunch.”

Hope giggled. “Were you two friends?”

“We were both on the cheer squad,” Caroline said. “In her world, that’s probably the same. We are probably going to get that a lot while we’re here, girls, just to warn you. The Forbes were a founding family.”  


“Does that matter?” Lizzie asked.

“It does here,” Caroline said with a sigh. “Welcome to small town politics.”

Sure enough, within ten minutes, Mrs Beech appeared at Caroline’s side, exclaiming over how much Hope had grown and how she hadn’t seen Caroline in years.

Hope just smiled, gripping Lizzie’s hand under the table, and Caroline gave her other arm a comforting squeeze.

“It’s really lovely to see you, Mrs Beech - how’s Kelly doing?”

“Kelly’s doing great,” Mrs Beech said, beaming. “She’s at a law firm down in California; she and Daniel just got engaged.”  


“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Caroline said. “Tell her congratulations, won’t you?”  


“Of course,” Mrs Beech said. “Now, Hope, Tina just came and spoke to me, and I’ve checked the rule-book. There isn’t actually anything that says that Miss Mystic Falls has to be a resident of the town. Tina has offered to sponsor you, so given your pedigree, you’re more than welcome to compete. Technically, the application process has closed, but you can always bring the form with you.”

“Thank you,” Hope said blankly. “Um, I hadn’t thought about it, but … I’ll consider it.”

“The pageant is in two days,” Mrs Beech said cheerfully. “Hopefully I’ll see you there.”

“Maybe,” Hope said faintly, as the older woman swept away. “Mom, why would Mrs Martin sponsor me if her daughter’s competing.”  


“You may have noticed that Tina wasn’t too happy about the fact I won,” Caroline said. “She was absolutely convinced that she had. She thought Elena was her only real competition, and Elena only entered because her mother initially put her forward before she died, so her heart wasn’t in it. She spent weeks beforehand telling everyone that she would win - she even had it on her college applications that she was Miss Mystic Falls. And then I won and completely humiliated her. I don’t think she ever forgave me.”

“So why would she sponsor me?” Hope repeated.

“Because she wants her daughter to beat you,” Lizzie answered. “She’s clearly still hanging on to that. What did she mean by pedigree?”

“Well, I was Miss Mystic Falls,” Caroline said. “So was my maternal grandmother and two of my aunts, and of course Hope is half-Forbes. The thing is, Lizzie, everyone has to fill in an application form, but it’s not really an application - it’s all a con really. Founding families have guaranteed places and if there aren’t enough, _then_ the judges use the applications to choose the rest.”

Hope pulled a face. “Then what would be the point in my filling in an application, if I’ve already got a place?”  


“Because that’s part of what they then use to choose the winner,” Caroline explained. “It’s not all based on a waltz. In any case, Hope, I know this is not really your thing, I certainly won’t be disappointed if you don’t want to compete.”  


Hope shrugged. “I’m not fussed one way or another. But I feel like a gauntlet’s been thrown down. I’ll need a partner.”

“Hello?” Lizzie asked. “What am I? Chopped liver?”

“I don’t think it’s going to be that simple,” Hope said.

“It’s not,” Caroline said. “The escort has to be male. It’s tradition and it sucks, but there you go. Any ideas?”

“Just one,” Hope said.

***

“Wouldn’t Henrik be a better option?” Landon asked as he walked through the door.

Caroline dropped her keys on the table next to the door. “I explained on the drive back from the airport.”  
“Thanks for coming,” Hope said with a sheepish smile.

“A beauty pageant?” Landon asked. “Who even are you right now?”  
“A challenge has been set,” Lizzie said. “Hope couldn’t resist.”  
Landon sighed. “Seriously, Henrik can already dance.”

“Henrik is a head shorter than me,” Hope said. “It will look awful.”  
“It’s your grandma’s birthday,” Landon said. “You don’t need to be spending it teaching me to dance.”  
“She’s not,” Caroline said. “I am, and Mom’s coming here. The dance is a waltz - a forbidden touch waltz, to be exact.”

“Why is it called that?” Landon asked.

“Because the first twenty-four counts you’re not allowed to touch your partner,” Caroline explained. “After that, it’s fairly standard - this dance is thankfully forgiving enough that we can get away with her leading as long as you can make it look like you are. The judges will be looking at her, not you, so it won’t matter if your technique isn’t spot on, as long as hers is.”  
Landon nodded. “But hers is going to be better if I know what I’m doing and she doesn’t have to prop me up, right?”

“Right,” Hope agreed.

“And how long do I have?” Landon asked.

“Pageant’s at 10am tomorrow,” Caroline answered.

Landon sighed. “Great.”

***

The following morning, at Lockwood Manor, Hope waited with the other girls at the top of the staircase.

“So you’re my mom’s sponsor?”

Dana Martin was an almost exact copy of her mother, except she clearly hadn’t developed her mother’s ability to smile in someone’s face and stab them in the back at the same time.

“Hope Mikaelson,” Hope said with a smile. “Sorry about that - apparently our moms competed against each other.”

“Mom wants me to beat you,” Dana said.

“I know,” Hope said, focusing back on the staircase. “Mom just wants me to take part - it’s kind of a family tradition.”

Dana frowned. “The Mikaelsons aren’t a founding family.”  
“The Forbes are,” Hope said.

Dana’s eyes widened. “You’re Caroline Forbes’s daughter? No wonder Mom wants me to beat you.”

“Miss Dana Martin,” the MC announced, “escorted by Mr Ralph Wiston.”

“Good luck,” Hope said sincerely.

“Yeah, you too,” Dana said, making her way down the staircase with a perfect smile.

Hope counted in her head. When she got to ten, the next announcement came.

“Miss Hope Mikaelson, escorted by Mr Landon Kirby.”

Outside in the courtyard, Caroline fidgeted beside her mother. “Here we go.”

Landon led Hope out of the house down to the temporary dance floor.

“Oh look at her,” Liz murmured, taking Caroline’s hand. “Reminds me of you.”  
Caroline smiled. “Well, that is my dress.”  
“It is?” Lizzie asked quietly. “I was wondering how you found it so quickly.”  
Caroline nodded. “Hope’s dad gave it to me.”

“It’s beautiful,” Lizzie said. “How long had you been dating?”  
Caroline chuckled under her breath, her fingers tapping in time to the music, counting the steps. 

Landon’s frame wasn’t perfect, but it looked like he was leading at the very least, even if he wasn’t.

“We weren’t dating. He invited me to a party and he knew I wouldn’t go and that my excuse would be not having anything to wear. So he sent me a dress along with the invitation.”

“Aww,” Lizzie said with a grin. “That’s so sweet.”

“I didn’t think so at the time,” Caroline admitted. “Looking back, it was rather sweet.”

“Smile,” Hope murmured under her breath.

“I can’t smile and count at the same time,” Landon whispered.

Hope just about refrained from rolling her eyes. “You’re doing fine. You’re a musician; you know rhythm.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention please,” Mayor Lockwood called.

The dancers slowly twirled to a stop, facing the judging panel.

“Given my personal investment in at least one of today’s applicants,” Mayor Lockwood continued, “I have abstained from voting this year to ensure that the results are completely unbiased. Mrs Beech, the envelope please. Without further ado, it is my honour to announce this year’s Miss Mystic Falls - Miss Hope Mikaelson.”

***

To everyone’s amusement, Tina Martin tried to argue the results. After all, how could Miss Mystic Falls not live in Mystic Falls?

Of course, her argument fell on deaf ears - she was the one who had sponsored Hope, after all, and she was the one who had convinced the judging panel to check the rules on that one anyway.

Hope being Hope, of course, had nominated Dana Martin to carry out any hometown duties in her stead, something Carol said just confirmed that the judges made the right decision.

After the inevitable party, Hope made her way up to her room to get out of her dress. She had just realised that she needed someone else to undo the zipper when there was a soft knock on the door.

Hope smiled. “Come in, Lizzie.”

“How’d you know it was me?” Lizzie asked, letting herself in.

“My family don’t know,” Hope answered. “Can you … Is that my soccer jersey?”

Lizzie smiled. “So it was really weird watching you dance with someone else.”  
“I’m sure it was,” Hope said. “I’ve been looking for that jersey.”  
“I may have borrowed it before Christmas,” Lizzie admitted. “It’s far comfier than any of my pyjamas. Do you want it back?”  
Hope hesitated. “Nah, I think it looks better on you. It’s a bit short though.”  
“Well, _you’re_ short,” Lizzie said. “Do you need a hand with your dress?”

Hope nodded, turning around. She felt Lizzie approach her, gently lifting her hair from the back of her neck.

“Zipper or button?” Lizzie murmured, her breath ghosting across Hope’s skin.

“Zipper, but there’s a clasp at the top,” Hope said, trying to keep her voice even.

“Got it.”

The zipper slowly slid down her back, followed by soft kisses that sent goosebumps across her back.

“You’re doing this on purpose,” she murmured.  
“Doing what?” Lizzie asked, grinning against her skin. “You wanted help.”

“You know wolves are possessive,” Hope said, “and you’ve got my name plastered across your chest. You’re doing this on purpose.”

“Yeah,” Lizzie admitted. “What are you gonna do about it?”

Hope stepped away from her and pushed the dress off her shoulders so it pooled at her feet, before murmuring a spell that locked and silenced her door.

“Oh, we’re playing it that way, are we?” Lizzie asked with a smirk.

Hope didn’t answer, drawing her into a kiss, her hands sliding under her jersey to tug her closer. “If Mom catches us …”

“She won’t,” Lizzie said between kisses. “She popped her head in earlier basically telling me to give her half an hour to go to bed before sneaking over here. Something about not being a hypocrite.”

Hope groaned, tearing herself away from her girlfriend. “Really, Lizzie? I didn’t need that mental image.”

“Sorry baby,” Lizzie said with a mischievous smile. “Would it help if I took the jersey off?”

“Maybe,” Hope said, playing with the hem. “Let’s try it and see.”


	13. Chapter 13

If people expected Josie and Lizzie to make peace, they were sadly mistaken. As the weather warmed, they both appeared to be trying to fix things, but it was no use - it seemed that any conversation, however brief, degenerated into a fight before they could stop it.

The only positive development was that Penelope and Josie had made amends and were once again joined at the hip.

So when Penelope sat down beside Hope in the library, it came as a bit of a surprise.

“Let you off the leash, has she?” Hope asked.

Penelope rolled her eyes. “Look, we both know that Josie’s in the wrong,” she whispered, “but we also know that none of this is like Josie. Something’s wrong, and I can’t figure it out if she’s not talking to me.”

Hope sighed. “I know. It’s just frustrating.”  


“Yeah, you and me both,” Penelope muttered. “Have you seen either of them?”

Hope frowned. “Not for a while. Lizzie left about twenty minutes ago.”  


“Yeah, she came to find Josie,” Penelope said. “They went out for a walk to try and fix things but they haven’t come back in.”  


Hope closed her book. “Alright, let’s go.”

Their concern was not unfounded. Recently, the twins’ limit had been ten minutes, before one or both of them was in tears.

Twenty minutes was far too long to be leaving them alone.

Without discussing it, the two witches made their way to the Old Mill.

They called it the Old Mill, but no one knew what it actually was - an old, dilapidated building in the woods near the river that might have been a water mill at some point, but certainly had nothing anymore to identify it as such.

Most people only went there for social gatherings, but the twins had always used it for private conversations and spell practice, so it was a good starting point for a search.

It was empty, however.

“Lizzie?” Hope called. “Are you two okay?”

Penelope frowned, pulling her phone out. “They would have come here.”

“Unless they got into a fight before they got here,” Hope said.

“Then they would have come back,” Penelope said, calling Josie. “She’s not answering.”

Hope held up a hand, listening intently. “I can hear her phone.”

Penelope followed her, still holding the phone to her ear. “She’s still not answering.”  


“I’m not surprised,” Hope said, coming to a halt. “Her phone’s on the ground. So’s Lizzie’s.”

Penelope hung up, staring at the two cell phones in the dirt. “So where are they?”

“Lizzie?!” Hope called again.

Her voice echoed through the trees, but garnered no response.

“I’m calling for help,” Hope said, pulling out her phone. “Dr Saltzman, we’re out by the Old Mill - Josie and Lizzie’s phones are on the floor and we can’t find them … Hello? Hello?” She frowned, checking her phone. “The line went dead.”

Penelope shifted a bit closer to her. “Maybe we should …”

But what Penelope thought they should do, Hope never found out. A sharp pain pierced through her skull and her vision went black.

***

_“Hope … Hope … Hope, wake up … Hope …”_

Hope blinked, her surroundings coming into focus. She was lying on a dirt floor, in what looked like a barred cell.

“Hope?”

Hope managed to sit up. She was right - it was a barred cell - one of four to be exact.

Penelope was in a cell to her right, apparently unconscious, separated from her by a line of metal bars.

“Thank God …”  


“Lizzie,” Hope murmured, scrambling to her feet. “Are you okay?”  


Lizzie was in the cell to her left and - _thank God_ \- Josie was just beyond her.

Lizzie reached through the bars. “What are you doing here?”

“We went looking for you two,” Hope murmured, grabbing her hand. “We were worried.”

“Was anyone else with you?” Josie asked, her eyes fixed on Penelope’s motionless form.

“No, but I did manage to get a call to your dad before the call dropped,” Hope answered. “Not that it does us much good. Do you know who did this?”  


Lizzie shook her head. “No, but we’re a bit stuck. Nothing to siphon.”   


“Yeah, of course,” Hope said, moving to the door of her cell. “And we’re in cages because …?”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Lizzie said.

Hope shook her head, muttering a spell over the lock. She paused, pushing on the door, then tried to slip a hand through the bars. “It’s no good,” she said. “There’s a boundary spell on the front of these. Magic won’t work.”

A soft groan from her right caught her attention and Hope glanced over. “Penny, we found them.”  


Penelope pushed herself up from the floor. “Why do I feel like that’s not much of a help to anyone?”  


“Because we’re stuck,” Hope answered.

“Penny, are you okay?” Josie asked.

“Better now I know where you are,” Penelope said with an attempt at a smile.

Lizzie rolled her eyes. “Can you two _not_ flirt over my head?”

“Hey, I didn’t put us in these cells,” Josie said.  


“Alright, you two,” Hope said with a sigh. “Fighting is not going to get us out. We could try overriding the boundary spell.”

Penelope examined her own cage door. “I think that’s going to take more than one of us, Hope. Also … are we underground?”  


“We appear to be,” Lizzie said. “That light there is the staircase out of here. If it takes too much magic, we’d risk the whole place caving in.”  


Hope sighed. “Never mind then.”

“There isn’t any way to get out.”

The woman at the bottom of the stairs had appeared without anyone noticing her. Hope drew back, pressing herself against the back wall of the … cave, she assumed, trying to see if she could sense where they were - she was sure it wasn’t New Orleans.

“Grandma?” Josie asked.

“What?” Lizzie asked sharply.

“Hello, Elizabeth,” the woman said with a smile. “My name’s Maya Parker.”  


“ We’re not supposed to speak to Mom’s parents,” Lizzie said. “We’re supposed to tell Dad if we even see them.”

“Yeah, and Dad’s never told me why that is,” Josie shot back. “She did, though, and I bet you know too. You just don’t want me to know about the Merge.”

Lizzie frowned. “Josie, what the hell is the Merge?”  


Josie laughed bitterly. “Oh, don’t act like you don’t know. It’s a curse on the bloodline.”  


“No, it’s not,” Hope said.

“You know about this?” Lizzie asked.

“Not exactly,” Hope said. “I didn’t know it had anything to do with your mom, but I have heard of it. It’s an ancient ritual. Most covens stopped using it about 500 years ago.”

“You told me a it was a curse,” Josie said to their grandmother. “You said when we turned 22, either Lizzie or I would absorb the other and the loser would die.”  


“What?!” Lizzie yelped, staring from Maya to Josie. “Why?!”  


“You’re twins,” Maya said. “The coven demands it.”  


“Well, it doesn’t demand it, does it?” Hope asked. “You had two sets of twins, and all of them lived past 22, so clearly you can just, you know, not kill your kids.”

“And we’re not 22,” Lizzie said. “We’re sixteen.”

“22 is the deadline,” Maya said. “Your father is not going to let anyone near you for your 22nd, we’re just going to have to do it now.”  


“You don’t _have_ to do it,” Penelope snapped. “Don’t make it sound like you haven’t got a choice.”  


“And you’re taking the word of a teenager over the leader of the Gemini coven, are you?” Maya asked.

“I’m taking the word of the girl who’s been taught by witches a thousand years older than you,” Penelope said with a smirk. “Taking Hope Mikaelson was a really bad idea.”

“My family will hunt you down,” Hope said with a sweet smile.

“You are only here because my men got paranoid,” Maya said, rolling her eyes. “Once the moon is at its apex, the Merge will happen, and then I will send the three of you home.”  


“Four of us,” Lizzie said.

“No, dear, three of you,” Maya said. “I’m told that the loser of the Merge lives on in the heart of the winner.”  


“Well, that’s comforting,” Lizzie said, as their grandmother left. “You won’t get away with this!”

Hope winced. “Lizzie, that’s just cliche.”

“Well, excuse me if I can’t think of anything witty to say when I’m going to die in a few hours,” Lizzie snapped.

“You’re not going to die,” Josie said quietly. “I am.” She sniffled. “I’m so sorry, Lizzie. I got convinced that everyone knew about the Merge, but they all figured you’d win so they didn’t want to tell me.”

“Jose … how long?” Lizzie asked.

“Just after our fifteenth birthday,” Josie answered.

“Josie …”

As Lizzie went to her sister, trying to comfort her through the bars, Hope turned to Penelope. “We have to get out of here.”  


“Who do you think would win?”  


“I don’t know,” Hope said. “I don’t want to think about it. Do you have a hair pin?”  


“Why?” Penelope asked, running a hand through her hair. “Are you going to pick the lock?”

“I’m going to try,” Hope said, taking the offered pin. “I don’t actually know how to pick a lock.”  


“Then how do you expect to manage it?” Penelope asked.

“I don’t see you coming up with any ideas,” Hope said, kneeling beside the door. She was trying to give Lizzie and Josie some privacy to talk, but not hearing was impossible in such a small space.

“I’m sorry for everything,” Josie said, tears streaming down her face. “I should have told you I lied as soon as I did. I shouldn’t have told everyone your secret. I should have told you everything in November - I’ve been getting more and more obsessed with this whole thing, and I’ve been lashing out, and now we’re here and …”  


Lizzie reached out to wipe away some of the tears with her thumb. “Josie, it’s okay. Look, I haven’t been the best sister. I’ve been caught up in my own head and … Mom always told me to listen to what wasn’t said and not just what was, and I haven’t done that with you. You’ve been crying out for years and I’ve never heard you.” She gave a very shaky, very watery smile. “No wonder Penelope can’t stand me.”

“I don’t want to die,” Josie said suddenly, her eyes wide. “I’m scared, Lizzie - I don’t want to die.”

“You’re not going to die,” Lizzie said gently. “You’re not … Josie, you are stronger than anyone gives you credit for, okay? And I’m not going to let you die for me, even if I have to make sure of it.”  


“Lizzie …”  


“Lizzie!”

Lizzie glanced over her shoulder to where Hope was now standing, staring at her in horror. “I have to do something, Hope. I am not losing my sister.”  


“I’m not losing you!” Hope retorted.

“Shut up,” Penelope said suddenly. “Someone’s coming.”

“It can’t be time already,” Josie said.

“Josie, it’s going to be alright,” Lizzie murmured. “I’m going to make sure it’s alright.”

“But …” Josie’s face cleared. “Uncle Luke?”

Luke Parker breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God … I knew she was here; when I felt the cloaking spells go up, I figured she was up to something.”  


“Tell us later,” Lizzie said. “Just get us out please?”  


Luke began chanting and the locks began to glow, but before they could break, he faltered. His voice began to stutter and he dropped to his knees.

“Luke, you’ve always been a disappointment.”

“No!” Lizzie slammed a hand against the bars. “Leave him alone.”  


Maya ignored her, her hand hovering over Luke’s face. “My children have such disrespect for tradition.”  


“If Jo was still here,” Luke gasped out, “you would never get away with this.”  


“You don’t think I know that?” Maya asked. “She told me I’d get near her girls over her dead body. And I did.”  


“That …” Luke doubled over, blood spattering across the floor as he coughed. “That tumour wasn’t natural, was it?”  


“Of course not,” Maya said impatiently.

Josie stumbled back as though she’d been punched.

“You bitch,” Lizzie growled. “You realise she was a better mother than you would ever be!”  


“That’s not fair,” Hope said. “You’re not giving your mother enough credit - the bar is so low there, she’d have needed to dig a hole to miss it.”

Maya did not respond, leaving Luke on the ground. Blood was still pouring from his mouth, but he was starting the haemorrhage from all orifices.

Hope dropped to the floor, frantically trying to find some gap in the boundary spell to get a hand out to him.

Josie was sobbing, calling for her uncle.

Luke’s eyes locked with Hope’s. “Don’t … Make them …”  


“Josie, close your eyes,” Hope called.

“Hope, please …” Josie sobbed. “Please.”  


“Lizzie, make sure she doesn’t look,” Hope said. “I can’t do anything.”

“Josie,” Lizzie said softly, her voice breaking. “Look at me. Just look at me.”  


“Thank you …” Luke whispered. 

His eyes glazed over and a second later, his convulsions stopped.

“Holy crap …” Penelope whispered.

Hope rose to her feet, staring at Luke’s body. Her legs felt numb, like they were about to collapse beneath her. She was not untouched by death, but this was the first time she had seen it in person.

The closest she had been previously was Jo, and she was sitting outside with her mom, and Josie and Lizzie when Jo actually passed.

And, by all accounts, it had been more peaceful than that.

As she stared at his body, an idea began to form in her mind. She toyed with her necklace, trying to remember everything she had ever heard about the Merge.

When Kol had first told her about it, she hadn’t understood why.

Now she knew.

“Lizzie?”

“Hope …” Lizzie began.

“I know, you don’t have much time,” Hope said, approaching the bars between them. “Just … Come here? Please?”

Lizzie sighed, but did as she was asked. “Hope, there’s nothing we can do.”  


“I can’t lose you,” Hope whispered, reaching through the bars to caress her face. “I can’t.”  


“Promise me you’ll look after Josie,” Lizzie said.

“I promise,” Hope said. “But … I might have an idea.”  


Lizzie’s eyes brightened a little, but she didn’t look convinced. “What is it?”  


Hope tugged her closer, setting her mouth very close to Lizzie’s ear to whisper to her.

In the next cell, Penelope watched, straining her ears to see if she could hear, but it was useless. When Hope pulled back, Lizzie’s face was unreadable.

Hope removed her necklace and placed it around Lizzie’s neck instead. “Whatever happens …”  


Lizzie nodded with a weak smile. “I know. I love you.”  


Hope squeezed her hand. “I know. Alright, Penelope, let’s get back to lock-picking.”  


Penelope sighed, pulling out another hairpin. “Alright.”  


“If she dies,” Hope said quietly after a few moments, “I’m not going to be any use; I’ll need you to get us out of here.”  


“Same here,” Penelope said, swallowing hard. “We’re going to get us out, right?”

“We have to,” Hope said.

The two of them tried for nearly half an hour to get the doors unlocked, but to no avail. The light streaming in from the staircase began to dim and they finally heard footsteps once more.

“Here we go,” Hope murmured.

“Hope,” Lizzie said, her voice shaking.

When Hope looked at her, her eyes were calm and she nodded. “Let’s do this.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is either going to go really, really well, or really, really badly. I'm interested to know which it is.

When Hope’s call had dropped, the school had jumped into action, sending out a search party for the four girls.

Landon, Rafael and MG had been driving for several days - Rafael had picked out some kind of trail, and Landon had some kind of sixth sense as to what direction Hope was in, so the three of them had decided to give it a shot.

By the time they realised the trail was taking them out of town, it was too late to turn back without losing the trail altogether.

“Anything?” MG asked.

Landon hung up. “Lines are still dead.”

“Have you tried …?”  


“The landline’s dead,” Landon said. “And every cell number I have is dead. Unless you want me to try your phone?”  


MG tossed his phone into the back seat. “Knock yourself out.”

Rafael sighed, pulling over to the side of the road. “Let me check the trail again.”

The three boys got out of the car, Landon stretching as he did so. “No, your phone’s not getting through either.”

“Maybe we should just turn back,” MG said. “It’s been three days - for all we know, the rest of the school have found them by now.”

“Okay, and why are all the lines dead?” Landon asked. “Dr Saltzman said his phone cut out when Hope called. We found her phone; we know it wasn’t out of battery.” He groaned. “We should have brought it along and tried calling her family.”  


“They’ll be at the school,” Rafael said. “If there’s a spell, they’ll be affected too.”

Landon frowned, looking around. “Where are we?”  


“Didn’t catch the sign,” Rafael said, sniffing the air. “Why?”  


“I swear I recognise this,” Landon said. He staggered suddenly, a wave of magic slamming into him like a punch.

“Whoa,” MG said. “You alright?”  


“Fine,” Landon gasped out. “That … That was Hope’s magic.”

“I didn’t feel anything,” Rafael said.

“It was Hope’s magic,” Landon repeated, taking off running in the direction the magic had come from. 

Through a set of iron gates, into a cemetery, he sprinted, Rafael and MG close behind him, jumping over gravestones. “Hope? Hope, can you hear me?”  


“Son of a …” Rafael grabbed his arm, as one of the graves suddenly erupted in front of them, a hand reaching up towards them.

“Zombie!” MG yelped.

But the face that followed the hand was not that of a zombie - and if it was, it was like no zombie Landon had ever seen in a horror movie.

No, this woman’s skin was in tact, dark veins skittering under blood-filled eyes.

“Vampire,” Landon corrected.

“I’ll get a blood bag,” MG said, speeding away.

Landon grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the grave.

“Landon!” Rafael protested.

“She looks terrified,” Landon said. “It’s okay; the sun just went down.”  


MG reappeared, handing her an opened blood bag. “Here; eat.”  


She did as she was told, sucking down half the bag before asking, “What’s the date today?”  


“May 16th,” Landon answered. “2030.”

The fear in her eyes faded into something almost heartbroken. “Oh.”

“How long ago …?” Landon asked.

“I’ve been dead just over 20 years,” she whispered.

“LIZZIE!”

“That’s Josie,” Rafael said. “Where …?”

“The crypt,” Landon said.

Josie’s screams weren’t stopping - if anything, they were getting steadily more hysterical.

Leaving MG to look after their new friend, Rafael and Landon raced into the crypt, almost falling down the ancient stone steps in their concern.

The room was dark, lit only by some flickering torches, but the stench of blood was clear even to the two non-vampires.

As their eyes adjusted to the light, the harrowing scene came into view.

An unconscious woman lay slumped against the wall to their right. A man lay in a pool of his own blood to their left.

Straight ahead were four cages; the outside ones were empty, but the centre two held the four girls they were looking for.

Hope lay motionless in one, Lizzie in the other. Josie was slumped over her sister, switching between screaming for her to wake up, and sobbing that she was dead.

Penelope was crouched beside her, trying to pull her away.

“Penelope?” Rafael asked cautiously

Penelope looked up sharply, before seeming to sag with relief. “Oh, thank God …” She rose to her feet and approached them. “I’ve never been so happy to see you in my life.”  


Landon hugged her. “What happened?”  


“I have no idea,” Penelope admitted.

“Oh my God …”

Landon looked up sharply. “MG, this may not be …”

MG closed his eyes. “Too late, I’m here. How did I not smell that from out there?”  


“There’s about ten dozen spells on this place,” Penelope said.

Their new friend was taking deep breaths, clearly trying to ignore the blood. “Are you all the age you appear to be?”  


“Yes,” MG said.

She nodded, taking a deep breath. “Okay.”

When she opened her eyes, they were clear, blue and blood-free. “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” Penelope said. 

“She just got resurrected,” Landon said.

“Of course she did,” Penelope muttered.

“Who’s hurt and how badly?”

Penelope sighed. “The man over there is Luke Parker, he’s dead; it’s his blood. I don’t know what happened, but Hope and Lizzie are unconscious …”  


“She’s dead,” Josie sobbed. “She’s dead.”

“And Josie’s hysterical,” Penelope finished.

“Alright,” the mystery woman said. “Someone just double check on Luke and - I assume Hope’s the brunette?”  


“Yes, ma’am,” Landon said.

“Thank you.” She crouched beside Josie, reaching out to touch her shoulder. “Josie?”  


“She’s dead …”  


“She’s your sister? Honey, your sister’s okay. I can hear her heartbeat. It’s not great, but it’s steady, okay?”

“Penelope, why did you think this guy was dead?” Landon asked.

“Because he is,” Penelope said. “I saw him die.”  


“Well, he’s got a pulse,” Landon said.

“That’s not possible,” Penelope said. “I saw him die. Hope and I both saw him die.”  


“I died 20 years ago, just after I became a vampire. Apparently, it’s a thing.”  


“Hang on,” MG said. “Hang on. So you died after you became a vampire and you’ve been dead 20 years - there’s blood all over the walls; how are you not losing it right now?!”  


“I learned a long time ago to bury my issues when people need me,” she said with a sad smile. “I should have been buried in Mystic Falls, Virginia, is that where we are now?”  


“Yes!” Landon said triumphantly. “That’s why it looked familiar! We all come from a school in New Orleans. The only people who know the town well are Hope, Josie and Lizzie.”  


The woman looked at Josie and got to her feet. “Well, she’s not in any state. I guess I’m the only option. Let’s hope people are still where I left them.”

***

“Shut up!”  


“Jenna,” Elena chided automatically.

“Mom, she won’t leave me alone!” Jenna whined.

“Ariana,” Katherine said tiredly. “Please stop teasing her.”  


“I’m not teasing her!” Ariana protested. “I’m just asking a question!”

“That’s enough,” Katherine said firmly, handing her daughter a dishcloth. “Come and help me dry the dishes.”

“We have a dishwasher,” Ariana said.

Katherine rolled her eyes. “I know that, honey, but that’s full so we may as well get it over with.”  


Technically speaking, the school was still open so Jenna and Ariana should have been in New Orleans. However, it was nearly the anniversary of Elena’s parents deaths, so, as every year, the girls had come home for the week.

Ariana helped her mother in silence for a few minutes. “I really was only asking.”  


“We’re just friends!” Jenna protested.

“I know, sweetheart,” Elena said soothingly. “You and Henrik are far too young to be dating.”

“You think so?” Katherine asked.

“Henrik’s only just turned 15,” Elena said. “Jenna’s not 14 until September.”  
“I wouldn’t say that’s too young,” Katherine said.

“Okay, first of all,” Elena said, “you were born at a time when 15 was middle-aged. Second of all, we’re not talking about your daughter.”

“Now, now, ladies,” Damon said from the doorway. “Settle down.”

“Henrik and I are just friends,” Jenna said firmly. “We are not dating.”  


“Well, I should hope not,” Damon said. “You’re far too young.”  


Elena pointed at him triumphantly. “Thank you!”  


Katherine rolled her eyes. “Stefan, they’re ganging up on me again!”  


“Wow, I wonder why.”  


Katherine narrowed her eyes at her brother-in-law. “You really can be such a …”

The doorbell drowned out her last word, much to Elena’s relief.

“Alright, children, that’s enough,” Damon said.

“I’ll go,” Elena said hastily, before he could move towards the door. “That way I can make sure whoever it is leaves with the same amount of blood they arrived with.”  


“You make it sound like we eat everyone who arrives on the doorstep,” Damon said.

“Dad, that’s the only reason this place is ever used as an actual boarding house,” Ariana said, rolling her eyes. “They’re too anaemic to leave straight away.”

“Well, they’re almost always from out of town,” Damon said. “It’s about the only way we can get fresh blood these days.”

“Look, can you stop talking about this for a second?” Elena asked, making her way to the front door. “At least long enough for me to help them.”

She pulled the front door open and the blood immediately drained from her face, her hand gripping the door to keep herself upright.

“Jenna?”


	15. Chapter 15

“Elena …”

Her aunt’s voice broke through her shock and Elena threw her arms around her. “Oh my God … How …?”

“I have no idea.” Jenna pulled away from her, resisting Elena’s attempts to bring her inside. “I need help, Elena - something happened in the crypt nearest my grave - there’s these kids, they need help. I came because I know the town; they lent me the car …”  


Elena had a hundred questions, but she looked past Jenna at the car parked haphazardly in front of the porch and her blood ran cold.

“Shit. Stefan! Damon!”

The two came running, skidding to a halt to stare at Jenna in shock. “What the …?”

“No time,” Elena said hastily. “That’s a Laughlin Academy SUV - there’s kids in trouble in the crypt nearest Jenna’s grave - I can’t …”

“That’s the Fell crypt, isn’t it?” Damon asked.

“Who cares?” Katherine asked. “You hold the fort, Lena; we’ll go.”

Elena nodded, still holding Jenna’s hands. “Jenna, come inside. It’s okay; they’ve got it. Did you come back as …?”  


“A vampire?” Jenna finished, nodding. “I don’t want to hurt you.”  


“You won’t,” Elena said gently. “I’m a vampire too. Come inside. I’m not going to let you hurt anyone.”

“Elena …” Jenna began.

“We can talk, Jenna,” Elena said. “Not right now, I need to deal with something first.” She led Jenna through to the kitchen, where the two girls were waiting, rooted to the spot.

“Aunt Elena?” Ariana asked, her voice shaking. “What’s happened at the school?”  


“I don’t know, sweetheart,” Elena said. “This is my niece, Ariana, and my daughter, Jenna … Oh, this is going to get confusing.”

“Why?” Her daughter asked.

Elena smiled. “This is my Aunt Jenna. She’s somehow come back from the dead, but she’s a very new vampire, and something’s happened at the cemetery, so I need you both to go to your room and get ready for bed, so I can deal with this, okay?”

For a second, it looked like her daughter would argue, but Ariana took her hand and tugged her towards the staircase. “Goodnight Aunt Elena.”  


“Goodnight, girls,” Elena said. “I’ll make sure someone comes and tucks you in.”  


Jenna sank into one of the kitchen chairs, staring after the two girls. “Elena …”  


“They’re 14 in September,” Elena said, fetching a blood bag. “It’s a long story. What do you remember?”  


“I don’t remember anything,” Jenna said. “One minute, Klaus killed me. The next thing I know I’m in a grave. How’s Jeremy?”  


Elena hesitated. “Jeremy’s okay - it’s a long story.” She handed her a mug of warm blood. “Drink up. Have you fed since you came back?”  


“One of the boys got me a blood bag from the car,” Jenna said. “But thank you. Did we … I mean, you were supposed to die after me - is that how …?”  


“It’s not how I became a vampire,” Elena said. “John got Bonnie to link us so he died instead of me. Everyone else is alive.”

Jenna took a long drink. “Why did I die, Elena?”  


Elena closed her eyes. “Jenna … I’m so sorry.”  


“No … Elena, no …”

She heard the chair scrape against the floor and Jenna’s arms closed around her. Elena turned her head into the crook of Jenna’s neck, returning the embrace.

“Honey, I wasn’t blaming you,” Jenna whispered. “It’s not your fault, Elena. I just … I want to understand.”  


Elena nodded. “I know. I’ll tell you everything, I will; I just … I need to help the kids first.”  


“Of course.” Jenna released her. “Is that your phone?”

Elena grabbed it. “Stefan? How many rooms?”

_“At least three, plus the usual.”_

Elena froze. “Oh God … What happened?!”

_“Still trying to figure that out,”_ Stefan said. _“Hope and Lizzie are unconscious, Josie’s hysterical, and Luke Parker was apparently dead for almost an hour but is now just out cold. We’ve also got three male students and one female. Two of the boys are brothers.”_

“Okay,” Elena said. “Get them back here; I’ll get set up.” She hung up and got to her feet. “Sorry, Jenna, I have to …”  


“Honey, you do what you need to do,” Jenna said. “Is there anything I can do to help you?”

“Yeah, can you come and help me make up beds?” Elena asked. “I need to start calling people.” She showed Jenna where they kept the spare linens and directed her to some spare rooms, before opening up the windows in Hope and the twins’ rooms, and starting to phone people in New Orleans. 

Every call she made went through to a dead line.

“Any luck?” Jenna called.

“Not yet,” Elena answered. “How are you doing?”  


“Four beds,” Jenna said. “That’s not enough, is it?”

“Luke in one room,” Elena said. “Then we can split the three male students between two - I’m sure the brothers can share. The twins have a room and Hope won’t mind sharing when she wakes up.”

“How do you know them?” Jenna asked, following her downstairs.

“Trust me, you want that story later,” Elena said, dialling yet another number.

_“Elena?”_

“Oh thank God!” Elena breathed. “Sophie, you are the only person in New Orleans with a working phone, you know that?”  


_“What do you mean?”_

“Everyone else’s lines are dead,” Elena said. “I assume they’re all at the school?”  


_“Seven students are missing,”_ Sophie said. _“Including Hope and the twins.”_

_“_ I know,” Elena said. “They’re here. I don’t know much - I just know that Hope and Lizzie are unconscious. I’ll send an update when I have one, but I need you to go to the school and …”  


_“Yeah, of course,”_ Sophie said. _“You know they’ll be on their way as soon as they hear, don’t you?”  
_

Elena’s gaze slid to Jenna. “Yeah, I know. I’ll deal.”

She hung up, just as the front door opened. “ELENA!”

Elena sped downstairs, catching Josie as she threw herself at her. “It’s alright, sweetheart; it’s going to be okay.”

“She’s dead,” Josie said into her shirt.

“No, she’s not, honey,” Elena kissed her little sister’s forehead, her eyes falling on Luke, unconscious in Damon’s arms. “Is he okay?”  


“He’s alive,” Damon said, “but he’s lost a lot of blood. What’s your diagnosis, doctor?”

Elena rolled her eyes with a smile. “Take him up to one of the spare rooms. His heart sounds fine; I’ll do a proper check later.”  


“You’re a doctor?” Jenna asked from the top of the stairs.

“I am,” Elena said proudly.

“Well, you could have led with that,” Jenna said.

Elena shrugged, turning back to Stefan and Katherine, who were carrying Lizzie and Hope respectively. “Any ideas?”  


“None whatsoever,” Katherine answered.

“Okay, let’s take them through to the living room,” Elena said, guiding Josie through first. “Is everyone else okay?”  


“It was just the girls that got taken. We were looking for them.”  


“This is Penelope, Landon, Rafael and MG,” Damon said.

“I thought I recognised you,” Elena said to Landon. “You were Hope’s escort for Miss Mystic Falls.”

Landon nodded. “That’s right, Mrs Salvatore.”  


“Let’s drop the Mr and Mrs,” Katherine said. “We’ll get confused.”

“You’re not Mrs Salvatore,” Elena said. “Neither of you has dragged the other up the aisle yet. At some point, I’m going to do it for you. Okay, so I’m assuming you three are fine then?”  


There were three murmurs of assent from the boys.

“We got there afterwards,” MG said. “We don’t know what happened any more than you do.”

“Right then.” Elena turned to Penelope with a smile. “Penelope … Josie’s Penelope?”  


The girl blushed a little but nodded. “That’s right.”

“Well, it’s lovely to finally meet you,” Elena said. “I wish it wasn’t under these circumstances. Can you tell me what happened?”

Penelope hesitated. “I think so, but … I don’t understand any of it. I mean, I was there, up to a point, and now I’m just … I have no idea.”

Josie was still sobbing over her sister. Elena could hear Lizzie’s heartbeat, slow but steady, yet Josie’s hysterical belief that her sister was dead was so unnerving that she couldn’t help staying tuned in to it.

Jenna clearly felt the same way; she had wrapped Josie in her arms and had two fingers resting on Lizzie’s throat against her pulse point.

“Penelope,” Elena said, “will you let me in to watch your memory of what happened? Josie’s far too upset to let me in right now.”  


Penelope hesitated. “It won’t hurt?”  


“It won’t hurt,” Elena assured her. “I won’t see anything you don’t want me to see.”  


Penelope took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay.”

“Thank you.” Elena took her hand and closed her eyes, plunging into the girl’s mind.

When she opened her eyes again, she was standing in the crypt beside Penelope, watching Maya Parker talking about the Merge.

When Luke came in and subsequently began choking on his own blood, Elena was left with another puzzle - maybe Josie was right about her sister.

Jenna and Luke had both been resurrected - maybe Lizzie had been as well.

When Hope began whispering to Lizzie, Elena tried to listen in as well, but she could only hear what Penelope could - and Penelope couldn’t hear a thing.

Hope gave Lizzie her necklace and something niggled in the back of Elena’s mind, something she was sure she’d been told, but the scene changed before she could catch it.

_Maya Parker emerged from the staircase. “It’s time.”  
_

_“Please don’t do this,” Josie whispered. “We’re your granddaughters. There’s no reason for this; it doesn’t do anything. Please …”_

_“I’m sorry,” Maya said. “Coven rules are coven rules.” She began chanting and the twins stiffened, beginning to scream almost in unison._

_Penelope screamed as well. “Josie!”_

_The chanting suddenly stopped, as Lizzie collapsed, like a marionette with her strings cut._

Elena found herself torn on what to focus on - one the one hand, Maya was clearly startled by that; on the other hand, Hope had just collapsed as well.

_“What the … Hope?” Penelope dropped to her own knees beside the bars. “Hope, what happened?”  
“Can’t breathe …” Hope gasped out. “Pen, you need to … You need to help them …”  
A lock clicked and Penelope rose to her feet, watching Maya enter Lizzie’s cell, bending to check on her._

_With a whispered spell, the woman was thrown backwards, out of Lizzie’s cage and against the wall, crumpling unconscious to the ground. There was a flash of light and Penelope was able to unlock the door of her cell, but before she could do anything else, Hope screamed, a blast of magic exploded out of her, leaving her unconscious._

Elena blinked, pulling herself out of Penelope’s mind. “Hmm. Thank you.”

“Did you understand it?” Penelope asked.

“Not really,” Elena said, reaching for Stefan’s hand.

She wasn’t surprised when Damon took her other hand and Katherine leaned across to touch her arm, passing the images to all three of them.

“Well,” Katherine said, once she had digested it, “I think we can assume that Hope resurrected Luke and Jenna.”  
“You think?” Elena asked.

“She’d just watched Luke die,” Katherine said. “And Jenna was the nearest grave. Not to mention she’s a sticking point.”

“True,” Elena conceded. “So let’s say Hope’s magic exploded and resurrected them …”

“It hit me too,” Landon added. “Raf and MG didn’t feel anything, but it nearly knocked me over.”  
“Well, that’s weird,” Katherine said. 

“Let’s say that happened,” Elena said. “That would explain why Hope’s unconscious _now._ It doesn’t explain why she collapsed in the first place.”

“Maybe it had something to do with whatever she talked to Lizzie about?” Stefan suggested.

“No, that makes no sense,” Damon said. “It looked like Hope wasn’t expecting to collapse. My guess is when she collapsed, her magic reached out to try and protect them, and did that by resurrecting Luke. I’m willing to bet that Jenna and whatever happened to Landon was an added bonus.”

“There’s something about the necklace,” Elena murmured. “I’m sure there is. Why would Hope give Lizzie a Mikaelson crest?”

Jenna tugged the necklaces out of Lizzie’s shirt. “She didn’t. Neither of these are any kind of crest. Which one was Hope’s?”

“Must be that one,” Josie said. “Lizzie wears the heart one all the time.”

Jenna untangled the second necklace, rather awkwardly with one hand as her other arm was still holding Josie tightly.

Once she had it free, she passed it over to Elena, who examined it.

“Is that … is that pendant …?” Katherine asked, peering over her shoulder.

“It is,” Elena said. “Didn’t …?”

“She did, yes.”

Rafael raised a hand. “Is anyone else confused?”  


“Doppelgängers,” Damon said with a sigh.

“They do this,” Stefan added.

Katherine took the necklace and gently undid the pendant, revealing an empty, hollow interior. She took a sniff and nodded. “You’re right.”  


“Could one of you fill us in now?” Damon asked.

Katherine went over to check on Lizzie, lifting one eyelid to check her pupils. “Yeah, I can. Caroline gets Hope to carry a small vial of her blood around, so she doesn’t do anything dangerous to heal her friends.”

Translation: Hope’s blood was supposed to be regular witch blood but did all kinds of things it wasn’t supposed to, and Caroline wanted to keep it a secret for as long as possible.

“Wait a minute …” Stefan said slowly. “That means …”  


“Hope collapsed because she triggered her curse,” Katherine said. “Lizzie’s in transition.”


	16. Chapter 16

For a few moments, everyone was silent, with the exception of Josie’s sobs.

“It’s my fault.”

“It’s not your fault,” Jenna said automatically.  


“It is! She died so I wouldn’t!”  


“Honey, she’s going to wake up,” Elena said hastily. “Lizzie’s a big girl; she’s capable of making decisions.”  


“There’s really no point right now,” Penelope said sadly. “When she’s in this state, she won’t listen.”  


Elena sighed. “You’re right.” She checked the time and go to her feet. “Right, is anyone hungry?”  


There was a brief awkward silence.

“I’ll take that as a no,” Elena said. “Which two of you are brothers?”

Landon and Rafael raised their hands.

“Okay, I’ve put you both in the same room, if that’s okay,” Elena said. “Penelope, I assume you don’t mind looking after Josie for me?”

“Of course not,” Penelope said.

“I’ll take Hope up to her room,” Katherine said. “I suggest we leave Lizzie down here for now.”  


“I’ll keep an eye on her,” Elena said. “I need to catch Jenna up anyway.” She gently eased Josie into her own arms and steered her upstairs. 

The others followed her, following her directions to their own rooms with thanks, and Penelope trailed after her into the twins’ room.

“There we are, sweetheart,” Elena murmured.

Penelope bent down to pull Josie’s shoes off so Elena could tuck her in. “Thank you.”

“I’ll try calling again,” Elena said. “I got through to one of Hope’s aunts and she’s gone to the school. Do you need me to call anyone?”  


Penelope smiled sadly. “My parents wouldn’t care.”

Elena frowned, touching her shoulder. “Are you okay?”  


Penelope’s breath hitched, but she nodded. “I will be.”  


Elena wasn’t convinced but she let it go. “Let me know if she gets worse.”

She met Stefan on the landing. “Can you …?”  


“Tuck the girls in?” Stefan finished. “No problem. Do you need any help?”  


Elena paused but shook her head. “No. Jenna and I need to have this conversation ourselves.”  


“Alright.” Stefan kissed her, and she made her way downstairs again, finding Jenna still sitting beside Lizzie, still monitoring her pulse.

“She’ll be okay,” Elena said.

“I know,” Jenna said. “I just … I don’t know.”  


Elena sighed. “Why don’t we talk in the library?”

After a second, Jenna got up and followed her through to the next room. “It’s late, Elena; if you … Oh, wow.”  


Elena smiled, following her gaze to the painting above the mantlepiece. “Beautiful, isn’t it? It was Damon’s wedding present to me and Stefan. And it is late, Jenna, but we need to have this conversation now because of what’s likely to happen tomorrow.”  


Her phone buzzed and she checked it.

_CM: On our way. Everyone ok?_

_ES: Everyone alive. OK may take time. Need some time to sort out._

_CM: OK- will talk 2morrow. Taken Nik’s phone._

“Everything okay?” Jenna asked.

“Everything’s fine,” Elena said, slipping her phone away. “How about a drink?”  


“Elena …” Jenna said.

“Trust me,” Elena said, pouring out two measures of bourbon from Damon’s stash. “You do not want to handle vampirism without alcohol.”  


“I don’t doubt that,” Jenna said. “But you know I’m not really a whisky girl.”

Elena held out one of the glasses with a sad smile. “Josie and Lizzie are Alaric’s daughters.”

Jenna took the glass and downed it. “Okay then. Is he happy?”

Elena shrugged. “I think so. Unfortunately, their mother passed away about seven years ago. Cancer. Or, as it turns out, cursed by her psychopath of a mother.”

“Oh God …” Jenna murmured. “Better bring the bottle.”  


***

It took hours.

Eventually, Elena fell quiet, emotionally exhausted. Putting everything together in one story had driven home just how much happened in such a short period of time. 

It had taken her several false starts before she got into a rhythm.

“I’m so sorry,” she murmured.

“Oh, honey,” Jenna sighed. “It’s not your fault, Elena. I’m so sorry that you had to deal with all that. But it’s not your fault.”

“He killed you,” Elena whispered. “And I had to forgive him.”  


“Good,” Jenna said firmly. “Elena, I’d rather you forgive him and call a truce than kill yourself to avenge me, alright?”

“Caroline …” Elena began.

“Is she happy?” Jenna asked.

Elena hesitated. “Yes. He adores her.”  


“Then that’s all I can ask for,” Jenna said simply. “Now I know you did tell me as part of the story, but let me just try and get it straight in my head. Caroline is now married to Klaus - happily - and they have Hope, who’s seventeen. Bonnie is dating Enzo, who’s a vampire, but she’s still a regular witch as far as you know.”

“To be fair, Bonnie has amazing genes,” Elena said. “She could very easily have achieved immortality and we wouldn’t realise until she’s, like, seventy.”

“That runs in the family,” Jenna said. “Sheila was the same. Matt’s married to … Rebekah? She’s Klaus’s sister, and they have an adopted daughter, Mariella. Matt and Rebekah are both vampires; Mariella’s a werewolf, she’s seventeen. Tyler lives in Mystic Falls still, with Hayley - they’re both hybrids but the alphas of a werewolf pack. Carol’s still the mayor, but Liz retired last month.”

“That’s right,” Elena said.

“And Jeremy’s a vampire,” Jenna finished heavily.

“That was a choice,” Elena said gently. “He and Jeanette had been together for several years and … Honestly, it was reaching the point that he either turned or it was starting to look really, really creepy.”

Jenna smiled. “But he still lives in Mystic Falls?”

“He does,” Elena said. “They kind of have a time share. They spend six months here and six months in New Orleans - Damon ended up buying out the Grill and Jeremy runs it when he’s here.”

Jenna nodded, taking a slow sip of whisky. “Katherine said I was Hope’s ‘sticking point’ - what did she mean?”

Elena grimaced. “Everything else, you can explain away. You can understand his reasoning. Not agree with it, but understand it. You just … You don’t make sense. I don’t even think Klaus knows why he turned you and didn’t just use another vampire. When Caroline told Hope the story a few years ago, she ran away. She came here, because she wanted to apologise to me for you. And then she had a panic attack because she thought she was a psychopath.”  


“That is not the act of a psychopath,” Jenna said. “For that matter, Klaus’s actions aren’t those of a psychopath either. He clearly loves his family far too much.”

Elena jumped to her feet. “That reminds me! Where did I put it?”

“Put what?” Jenna asked, a little startled.

Elena hurried over to one of the bookcases, scanning the shelves for something, before pulling out one of her journals and checking the date, flicking through it until she found what she was looking for - a heavy, yellowing envelope, addressed not to her, but _Miss Jenna Sommers._

“This arrived just after you died,” Elena said, handing it to her. “It’s from your school.”

Jenna’s eyes widened. “I … I didn’t even think about that. I was due to get my masters’ results. Do you know …?”  


“I haven’t opened it,” Elena said. “I couldn’t bring myself to, but I couldn’t just throw it out either.”  


Jenna slit open the envelope and pulled out the letter. “What if I failed?”  


“You didn’t,” Elena said firmly. “I know you didn’t.”

Jenna hesitated. She had majored in psychology and graduated with flying colours, but it was her Masters degree that was most important to her. And her tutor had taken such a risk allowing her to continue the degree online when she had to drop out to take custody of Elena and Jeremy.

“Go on,” Elena said.

Taking a deep breath, Jenna unfolded the letter, her hands shaking. “Okay, you read it, I can’t.”

Elena smiled, taking the letter. “Dear Miss Sommers. We are pleased to inform you that you have been awarded first class honours in your Masters of Education in Counselling.”

“First class?” Jenna repeated.

“First class,” Elena repeated, handing her the letter. “I told you you didn’t fail.”  


Jenna read the letter herself, a smile spreading across her face. “I passed.”  


“With flying colours,” Elena agreed, hugging her. She stiffened suddenly and disappeared; Jenna jumped to her feet, leaving the letter on the coffee table, and followed her.

Elena was kneeling beside the couch in the living room, rocking Lizzie back and forth. “It’s okay, sweetheart; you’re okay.”

“Where’s Josie?” Lizzie was asking frantically. “Where is she?”  


Jenna stepped closer. “It’s okay; she’s okay.”  


“She’s upstairs,” Elena elaborated. “Penelope’s with her. Hope’s still out because her magic had a bit of a panic attack. She brought your Uncle Luke back; he’s recovering upstairs.” She released Lizzie and stood up. “I’m going to get you a blood bag; Jenna, do you mind staying with her?”  


“Of course not,” Jenna said, sitting down beside Lizzie as Elena hurried for the kitchen. “We’re taking you transitioning as a given - you do want to, don’t you?”  


“Yeah,” Lizzie said, wiping at her eyes. “I had to make that decision beforehand, otherwise Hope would have my death on her conscience and … She triggered her curse, didn’t she?”  


“So I’ve been told,” Jenna said.

“I hadn’t even thought about that,” Lizzie whispered. “She never wanted to. The idea terrified her.”

“You’re shaking,” Jenna said. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“You’re shaking too,” Lizzie said in response. “Are you?”  


Jenna smiled weakly. “Hope resurrected me too. I’d been dead for twenty years, and I’ve only been a vampire for about a day. So I guess I’m a little overwhelmed.”  


Lizzie nodded. “I’m nervous. Vampire emotions are like a hundred times stronger, and I’m bipolar.”

Jenna’s breath caught in her throat. What were the chances? “Well, I guess we can figure it out together,” she said. “I’m bipolar too.”

“You are?” Elena asked, rejoining them with a mug of blood. “Since when?”

“I got diagnosed when I was fifteen,” Jenna answered. “Your dad dragged me to a friend of his. I never told you and Jeremy because … Well, because you didn’t need to deal with that. Plus people already felt that I was an unfit guardian because I was so young.”  


“Wait a second,” Lizzie said. “You’re _Dad’s_ Jenna?”

Jenna hesitated. “Yes, I am. I’m …”  


“Did Dad know?” Lizzie asked.

“No,” Jenna admitted. “I wanted him to have plausible deniability - he was their teacher, so he probably had some kind of responsibility to report it. He wouldn’t have, but if someone else had found out …” She sighed. “I wish I had told him. Maybe then he would have told me everything. I mean, I’d still have died, but … maybe I would have felt better.”  


“What are the chances?” Lizzie asked Elena, unknowingly voicing Jenna’s internal query.

Elena shook her head. “I know.”  


“What?” Jenna asked.

Lizzie smiled sadly. “My full name is Elizabeth _Jenna_ Saltzman.”

“Josie’s middle name is Elena,” Elena added helpfully.

Jenna closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. “I’m sorry it’s not your mom that came back.”

Lizzie’s hand touched hers. “If she did come back, she’d still be sick. Freya Mikaelson couldn’t fix it then, I doubt she could do it now. She’d just die again in a few days. So I’m glad you’re back.”

Jenna opened her eyes again to see Lizzie’s shaky smile. “Thank you.”  


“Lizzie,” Elena said quietly. “Drink up.”

Lizzie nodded, taking the mug. “Thanks, Elena. Have you told her you’re our sister yet?”  


“Sister?” Jenna repeated.

“Ric became our guardian after you died,” Elena reminded her. “And Jo pretty much adopted us.” She hesitated. “Plus, there is an outside chance that Alaric is actually my biological father. We never did any kind of test and we’re both of the same opinion.”  


“Which is …?” Jenna prompted.

Elena shrugged. “He’s my dad. DNA or lack thereof isn’t going to change that. And I don’t need DNA to have two little sisters. Jeremy’s still thrilled he’s not the baby anymore.”

“I swear you are,” Lizzie said, taking a tentative sip, before draining the whole mug. “You and Dad are like … Oh, God, that’s weird.”  


“Just your fangs coming through, honey,” Elena said gently. “Breathe through it. I’ve got another mug for you in the microwave and then it’s bedtime.”  


“I can’t,” Lizzie said hastily. “I can … I can hear heartbeats upstairs and … I’m scared I’ll hurt someone.”

“Honey, I can’t leave you down here,” Elena said.

“I’ll stay with her,” Jenna said. “I’m honestly scared as well.”  


“If you’re both sure …” Elena said.

“We’re fine, Dr Salvatore,” Jenna said with a smile.

“You’re going to keep calling me that, aren’t you?” Elena asked.

“So proud of you,” Jenna said, beaming.

Elena chuckled. “Alright.” She bent down to kiss Lizzie’s forehead. “I’ll see you in the morning. Make sure you have that other blood bag.”  
“I will,” Lizzie said. “Good night.”

As Elena made her way up to her and Stefan’s room, she checked in on the others.

Josie and Penelope were fast asleep, curled up in each other’s arms, and Elena slipped into the room fully to pull the covers over them.

Penelope stirred slightly and Elena brushed a hand across her forehead, murmuring soothing nonsense under her breath until she settled.

Hope was still unconscious, but her breathing was even, so Elena kissed her forehead and left her to it.

She paused outside the boys’ rooms, listening intently to confirm that they were all asleep, breathing steady and even.

Luke was still out as well, and Elena checked his vitals once more, reassuring herself that he was still alright. He stirred as well, but unlike Penelope, his eyes opened.

“It’s okay,” she whispered. “Everyone’s safe.”  


“Mother …?” Luke croaked.

Damon had left a glass of water on the nightstand and Elena fetched it, helping Luke take a few sips. 

“She’s gone,” she said quietly. “We don’t know where she is, but she’s gone. Josie and Lizzie are okay.”  


“I thought I was going to die,” he murmured, his eyes fluttering closed.

Elena hesitated, but figured that she could probably wait until morning. “Well, you’re okay. Just sleep it off.”

His breathing evened out, and Elena slipped out again, leaving him to sleep.

Her final stop was Ariana and Jenna’s room - they really needed to figure out how to differentiate between Jenna and Aunt Jenna. 

Unsurprisingly, the girls were curled up together - they usually started out in separate beds, but one of them always managed to migrate before morning.

They would not go back to sleep if she woke them, so she withdrew quietly, shutting the door, and climbed the final flight of stairs to go to bed. She was asleep almost before her head hit the pillow.

***  
Elena woke the next morning, initially unsure if she hadn’t just had a very strange dream. 

Stefan was still asleep, so she brushed a kiss against his cheek and got up, hurrying downstairs to the living room.

She came to a sudden halt, a smile spreading across her face.

Jenna and Lizzie had fallen asleep on the couch, Jenna’s arms wrapped protectively around the younger girl. 

Both had rather tearstained faces and Elena guessed that they had talked for quite a while after she had gone to bed.

Not having the heart to wake them, she took a quick photo on her phone and grabbed a blanket to cover them up, before going to put on the coffee.

Just as she entered the kitchen, however, she caught the sound of a car pulling up outside and sped to the door, stepping out into the morning sunlight just as Caroline, Klaus and Ric piled out of the car.

“They’re okay,” she said immediately. “Give me five minutes.”

Caroline threw her arms around her. “Thank you so much.”

Elena hugged her tightly, her eyes fixed on Alaric. “Lizzie’s a vampire.”

Caroline released her abruptly. “What? How?”  


“Maya Parker found them,” Elena said. “She was going to do the Merge - it was Hope’s idea. Once Lizzie was in transition the spell stopped working. Hope triggered her curse - we don’t think she was expecting it and her magic had a bit of a panic attack. She’s still out, but I expect her to wake up today.”

“Is Lizzie okay?” Ric asked. “And Josie?”  


“Lizzie woke up last night,” Elena answered. “She seemed okay. Josie was pretty hysterical last night but she slept properly at least - I asked Penelope to come and wake me if she wasn’t, and she didn’t.”

“And how do you know Hope’s magic had a ‘panic attack’?” Klaus asked.

“Well, first of all, you don’t lost consciousness when you trigger the curse,” Elena said. “Second of all, Luke Parker tried to save them and was killed for the trouble, but he’s currently upstairs recovering.”  


“She resurrected him?” Caroline whispered.

“Not just him,” Elena said. “Jenna’s back.”

Alaric’s face paled. “She’s … What?”

“She seems to be okay,” Elena continued. “I filled her in last night, which was … exhausting.”

“Hope’s going to wake up, you said?” Klaus asked.

“Yes,” Elena said.

Klaus turned to Caroline. “Maybe I should go and find a florist.”  


“Excellent idea,” Caroline said, handing him the keys. “I think you probably owe her the whole store.”


	17. Chapter 17

Elena steered Alaric and Caroline straight to the kitchen and started the coffee. “Lizzie and Jenna are still asleep in the living room,” she said.

“Elena …” Ric began.

“Wait,” Elena said firmly. “I know she’s your daughter, Ric, but she’s also a new vampire. Trust me when I say she needs some space.”

Caroline reached across the table to pat his arm. “She’s right.”

“I’ll go and wake the others,” Elena said, handing Caroline a mug of blood, “and then I’ll check on them again.”

Her girls were already awake when she poked her head in.

“We figured it out,” her daughter said brightly.

“Oh?” Elena asked. “What’s that then?”  


“Well, your Aunt Jenna’s back,” Ariana said, “so there’s going to be two of them and it’s going to be confusing.”  


“So I thought about using my middle name,” her Jenna continued, “but I figure Dad might have a heart attack if I start going by Lexi …”  


“Plus, it’s going to be hard for everyone else to switch,” Ariana put in.

Jenna nodded. “So I figured - what if everyone calls me Jenna-May?”

Elena hesitated. “Are you sure, sweetheart?”  


Jenna-May nodded. “Of course. Is Aunt Jenna okay? And are Hope and the twins okay?”  


Elena sighed and came to sit beside them, unsurprised that they had heard at least some of what happened last night. “Aunt Jenna is a new vampire, but she’s coping - remarkably well actually. Lizzie’s a vampire and Hope’s triggered her werewolf curse, but they’ll both be okay. Now, Aunt Caroline and Uncle Ric are downstairs, so …”

She didn’t have a chance to finish before the girls let out a little squeak of excitement and raced for the bathroom to get dressed

Shaking her head in amusement, Elena moved on to knock on the next few doors. Not knowing MG, Landon and Rafael as well, she waited outside until she heard movement before letting them know their headmaster had arrived and that she’d be making breakfast shortly.

Luke was still fairly groggy when she checked on him, but he at least managed a smile.

“Thank you, Elena.”  


“Not at all,” Elena said with a smile. “Are you up for breakfast?”  


Luke hesitated. “Eating, yes. Moving, no.”  


Elena laughed. “That’s what I figured. I’ll get someone to bring you a plate.”

“Bless you,” Luke murmured, his eyes closing again.

Elena squeezed his hand and went to the last room - there was no point in waking Stefan, Damon, or Katherine - none of them were heavy sleepers, and they would almost certainly be up on their own within the hour, if that.

Penelope was awake, but Josie was still asleep.

“Any nightmares?” Elena asked quietly.

Penelope smiled sadly. “Her or me?”

Elena nodded. “It’s okay not to be okay, you know that, right?”  


“I know,” Penelope said. “But she needs me to be okay.”  


“She’s going to need some help,” Elena conceded. “But there are other options. Never set yourself on fire to keep other people warm.”  


“I love her,” Penelope said.

“I know,” Elena said with a smile. “And she loves you. You wouldn’t let her get away with it, would you?”  


Penelope pulled a face. “No.”

“Thought not,” Elena said. “Her dad’s downstairs and I’m going to make breakfast. Lizzie transitioned last night; she’s fine. Hope should wake up today.”  


“Good,” Penelope said with a little sigh of relief. “I’ll see if I can wake her.”

Elena left her to it, knowing from experience that it was not an easy task. She got downstairs, just in time to hear movement from the living room and looked inside, just in time to see Jenna start to stir.

“Morning.”

Jenna blinked a few times, confusion clouding her eyes, before they cleared. “Right. Resurrection. Vampire. Doctor.”

Elena smiled. “I love the fact that that’s the three words you’ve gone with. Ric’s in the kitchen.”  


“Have you told him about …?” Jenna began.

“Of course,” Elena said. “Caroline’s here too - Klaus isn’t.”  


“I’m surprised,” Jenna said. “Given what you told me about Hope.”

Elena shrugged. “He was here. He’s made a strategic retreat.”  


Emotions warred on Jenna’s face for a second. “I don’t want her to have to miss him.”  


“She won’t,” Elena said. “She’s still unconscious.”

Jenna sighed. “What I was actually going to say was, have you told him about their mother?”  


Elena paused, running through everything she had said since Alaric arrived. “No. Not yet. I think I’d better wait until the girls are both awake and he’s got that reassurance before I drop that bombshell.”  


Jenna nodded. “Okay. Go play hostess; I’ll wake her up.” She waited for Elena to leave before gently nudging Lizzie’s shoulder. “Your dad’s here, honey.”  


“I heard,” Lizzie mumbled into her shoulder. “Can’t I stay here?”  


Jenna chuckled. “He’ll get impatient at some point.”

Lizzie sat up, running a hand through her hair. “Sorry about crying on you.”  


“Don’t mention it,” Jenna said immediately. “Seriously. After everything that happened yesterday, I think you deserved a cry.”  


Lizzie smiled shakily. “I’m scared.”

Jenna squeezed her hand. “Me too,” she admitted.

“What if I hurt him?” Lizzie whispered. “Hell, what if he’s mad at me?”

“He won’t be mad at you,” Jenna said immediately. “I haven’t known your dad as long as Elena has, but I know him well enough to know that he’d rather have one vampire daughter and one witch daughter, than one live daughter and one dead one.”

“When you put it like that,” Lizzie muttered. “Although technically, I am dead.”

“Technically, so am I,” Jenna said.

Lizzie rolled her eyes. “I’m still scared I’ll hurt him.”  


Jenna hesitated. That one was more difficult. “I know. Why don’t you stay here and I’ll get you a blood bag first? Maybe once you’ve eaten, you’ll feel better.”

“Maybe,” Lizzie said.

“Also, you can’t be the first new vampire your dad’s dealt with,” Jenna said. “Elena said he runs a school.”  


“He does,” Lizzie said, settling a little. “And I’m not. So he should know …”  


“He should,” Jenna agreed, getting to her feet. “I’ll get you a blood bag, shall I?”  


Lizzie nodded. “Thanks.”

Jenna made her way towards the voices floating out of the kitchen, hesitating just outside the door.

She wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when she entered - certainly Caroline would look no different, but Ric …

Whatever she was expecting, it wasn’t what she saw when she opened the door.

Their eyes met across the room and she faltered, her voice failing her.

Caroline jumped to her feet, rounding the table to hug her. “Jenna, I’m so, so sorry.”  


“Don’t,” Jenna said automatically, squeezing Caroline tightly. “Your daughter brought me back.”  


“Yeah, and my husband killed you in the first place,” Caroline muttered.

“Elena explained everything last night,” Jenna said. “I’m not okay. I will be. And I’m told he adores you and you’re happy.”  


Caroline nodded, pulling back to wipe at her eyes. “I am. And he does.”  


Jenna smiled. “That’s all I ever wanted for any of you.”

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

Jenna glanced at Ric, who had taken a tentative step towards her. “I’m confused. Elena told me that you died, but … she said you came back human.”  


Alaric frowned. “I did.”

“He’s not a vampire any more,” Elena added.

“No, I know,” Jenna said, “but … You don’t look a day older than when I last saw you.”

There was an awkward pause, while Caroline and Elena both turned to look at him.

“She’s right,” Caroline said after a few moments. “How did I not notice?”  


“Because you’re surrounded by people who aren’t ageing,” Jenna said. “You probably don’t question it. Also, you tend to notice a change, or lack thereof, more if you don’t watch it happen. Or not happen, in this case. Anyway …” She took a deep breath and smiled. “That’s not what I was going to say when I walked in.”  


“What were you going to say?” Ric asked.

“Oh, I hadn’t got that far,” Jenna said. “But it wasn’t that. What I will say is that you have two beautiful daughters.”

Alaric smiled. “Thank you. I’m very proud of them.”  


“So you should be,” Jenna said, taking the mug Elena passed her. “Can you make one up for Lizzie as well?”  


“On it,” Elena said. “How’s she doing?”  


“She’s nervous,” Jenna and Caroline said in unison.

“How did you know?” Jenna asked.

Caroline shrugged. “I didn’t know about vampires when I turned. If I had known, I’d have had a panic attack when Mom walked into that hospital room.”

Jenna drained the mug and set it down. “Okay, how do I make the fangs go away?”

“Deep breaths,” Elena answered. “Look at me.”  


Jenna locked eyes with her niece, matching her breathing, until the burning in her face went away. “Thanks.”

Elena smiled, removing the second mug from the microwave. “Here you go.”  


“First things first,” Jenna said, turning to Ric. “I know it’s been twenty years and there’s a load of other stuff going on, but we can do the hug thing, right?”

Ric cracked a smile, wrapping his arms around her. “I’m glad you’re back, Jen.”  


Jenna closed her eyes, allowing herself to sink into his embrace for a second, before pulling away a little reluctantly. “Okay, let’s get reunion number two on the road.”  


Lizzie was pacing when Jenna returned. “Is he okay?”  


“He’s worried about you,” Jenna answered, handing her the mug. “As expected.”  


Lizzie drained the mug in seconds. “Thanks. Were you okay?”  


“I was, actually,” Jenna said. She watched as Lizzie’s eyes calmed and her body stilled. “Feel better?”

Lizzie nodded. “It felt like there was electricity underneath my skin. Like I was so … fidgety that I was going to explode if something didn’t happen. Will you come with me?”  


“Of course,” Jenna said, following her back towards the kitchen.

As soon as Lizzie entered, Alaric rounded the kitchen island, stopping just short of grabbing her in a hug. “Lizzie, thank God! Are you okay?”

Lizzie nodded, stepping forwards to wrap her arms around her father’s waist, burying her face in his chest.

Ric hugged her immediately, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

Jenna could probably have heard whatever he was whispering to her, but she went to help Elena with breakfast instead.

“Oh for heaven’s sake,” Katherine said, appearing at their sides. “Elena, we’ve been through this -step away from the stove.”

Elena held up her hands in mock-surrender, moving back to allow Katherine to take over breakfast.

“I do not need to be dealing with a fire alarm this morning,” Katherine grumbled.

“I’m not that bad,” Elena protested.

“I am,” Jenna said honestly. “And you weren’t any better before I died.”  


“She’s not now,” Katherine said. “How are you feeling, Lizzie?”  


“I’m fine,” Lizzie said, now being almost suffocated by Caroline.

The girls’ bedroom door slammed upstairs, and Elena and Katherine winced as the kitchen shook. A couple of eggs rolled from the counter with the movement, stopping just before they reached the ground.

“Good catch,” Elena said.

Katherine frowned, staring down at the eggs. “That wasn’t me.”

“I did it,” Lizzie said, returning the eggs to the counter with a flick of her hand. “I kind of reacted. Why have I still got my magic?”

Katherine’s eyes cleared. “Of course. You’re a siphoner.”  


“Does that change things?” Alaric asked.

“If memory serves me,” Katherine said, “and Kol will know better, siphoners don’t lose the ability to siphon when they become a vampire; they gain the ability to siphon themselves.”  


“So I don’t need to siphon anything first?” Lizzie asked with a grin.

“Not necessarily,” Katherine said. “But you’re not an infinite resource, Lizzie, so just be aware of your limits.”

“Okay, this day just got so much better,” Lizzie said. 

“Aunt Caroline!”

Caroline released Lizzie just in time to catch Jenna-May and Ariana as they threw themselves at her. “Would you two stop growing please?”

“Did Henrik come with you?” Ariana asked

Jenna-May turned red. “We’re just friends!”  


“No!” Elena said tiredly. “We are _not_ starting that again.”  


“We never got a chance to finish it,” Ariana said innocently.

Elena sighed, shaking her head. “Jenna, I know I introduced you last night but …”  


“Everything was a bit frantic, wasn’t it?” Jenna asked, her eyes fixed on the two. “Just to be clear, we’re sticking with Aunt Jenna, not Great-Aunt Jenna - I’m too young for that.”

“Me too?” Ariana asked, a little shyly.

Jenna smiled. “Well, Elena says you’re more like sisters than cousins. So, yes, of course you too.”  


“Thank you,” Katherine murmured behind her.

Jenna spared her a smile, crouching down to hug the two girls, relieved when the steady heartbeats settled her nerves, rather than winding her up.

The three boys arrived at that moment and Jenna couldn’t help watching as Ric greeted them, with less affection than his daughter, certainly, but no less relief.

Lizzie stiffened all of a sudden, but before anyone could move, Josie came flying into the kitchen and into her sister’s open arms.

Ric moved towards them, but was stopped by Caroline’s hand on his arm. She went instead, resting a hand on Josie’s shoulder, half in comfort, half to pull the girl away should Lizzie lose control.

But it was Josie whose face was buried in her sister’s neck, half-understandable words breaking through sobs, while Lizzie stroked her sister’s hair and tried to comfort her.

“You managed to wake her then,” Elena said to Penelope, who had followed her girlfriend at a more sedate pace.

“I don’t know how she does it,” Penelope said. “She went from fast asleep to this in about twenty seconds.”

Elena chuckled. “She’s been like that since she was a baby. I don’t get it either.”  


“Damon can do that,” Katherine grumbled. “Drives me up the wall.”

Josie finally calmed down enough for Alaric to hug her as well.

“Dad, I’m so sorry,” Josie said through tears. “I should have told you that I met Grandma.”  


“You should,” Ric said, “but I should have told you why she was a problem. I’m so sorry you both had to go through that.” He looked up at Penelope. “You too.”

Penelope gave him a weak smile. “Not your fault, Dr S. I’d rather have been with Josie than stuck at the school, worrying.”  


“You wouldn’t have been at the school,” MG said. “You’d have been with us.”  


“Hell, you’d have been driving,” Rafael added.

Penelope smirked. “Well, probably.”

“Alright, breakfast’s ready,” Katherine announced. “Come and get it, while it’s hot.”

“I’ll take a plate up to Luke,” Elena said. “He’s awake, but not exactly alert at the moment.”

“Thanks, Elena,” Ric said.

As Jenna-May and Ariana joined the line for breakfast, Josie caught Jenna’s eye across the room.

“Thank you for last night,” she said, a little shyly.

Jenna smiled sadly. “You’re welcome. Elena would have done the same if I wasn’t here.”  


“But you were,” Josie said, “and you did. And … I’m really sorry, but I don’t even remember your name.”

Ric cleared his throat. “Josie, this is Jenna Sommers. Lizzie’s namesake.”

It was probably a smart move to say that rather than refer to her as his ex-girlfriend (if that was the right way to describe a relationship that ended due to death, rather than a break-up).

However it was obvious from the way Josie froze, something akin to panic in her expression, that she knew exactly who Jenna was.

Something ached inside her, something that had been mollified by Lizzie’s easy acceptance, reminded of a time after her mother had passed, when her father had begun a new relationship - and how her relationship with the woman in question (no matter how nice she was) had never progressed past the mental block that screamed that this _wasn’t_ her mother, and how _dare_ she try to replace her (even though she never really had).

In a widely transparent attempt at sparing Josie any kind of awkward small talk, she turned to Katherine. “You and Damon took Elena out to the woods to teach her control, right?”

“We did,” Katherine said. “Sorry about the phone call.”

Jenna blinked in surprise, trying to reconcile her question with the response. “Um, thanks. But you don’t need to apologise. If I had to chose between saving my own life and the life of a stranger, I’d probably save my own as well.”

Katherine shrugged. “Still.”

“Anyway,” Jenna said, “any chance I can get the woods treatment as well?”

“You’re doing really well as it is,” Katherine said. “But we’d be happy to. Fair warning - don’t take advice from Stefan.”

“He means well,” Caroline added. “He just doesn’t know what he’s doing. You know we do have a school in New Orleans specifically for situations like this.”  


The last part was a little rushed, as though she’d said it before Alaric could, picking up, as Jenna had, Josie’s obvious discomfort.

Jenna smiled at Caroline. “Thank you. I think I need to be near Jeremy and Elena right now.”

“Of course,” Caroline said. “Just thought I’d offer.”

Another door slammed - the front door this time - and Jeremy came barrelling into the kitchen.

Of everything, _this_ was what made Jenna burst into tears. 

Everyone else - even Ric - seemed frozen in time. Even knowing they had children didn’t quite cut through, because these children were virtual strangers.

But Jeremy …

Jeremy was not the lanky teenager he’d been when she died. He was at least a head taller, bulked out with muscle, his hair shorter than she’d last seen it …

He’d grown up.

His panic at her tears, however, had not changed in the slightest. Nor had the way he lifted her off the ground a little when he hugged her (which he had started doing as soon as he was an inch taller than her).

She wrapped her arms around him, trying to quell her tears. “You look so much like your dad.”  


“We’ve missed you so much,” Jeremy muttered into her hair.

“Elena said you could speak to dead supernaturals before you turned,” Jenna said.

“Not you,” Jeremy said with sad smile. “You died so soon after turning that you were in the human afterlife. You could travel between the two, but not enough that I could talk to you.”  


“How do you know I could travel then?” Jenna asked curiously.

“Ric was there for a while,” Jeremy answered simply. “You used him to pass on messages from Mom and Dad.”

“Look who’s awake,” Elena announced.

Jeremy took a quick step to one side, pulling Jenna with him to avoid Caroline as she rushed to her daughter.

“Hope!”

“Mom …” Hope fought against her mother’s arms, clearly distressed. “Lizzie and Josie - did it work?”  


“It worked,” Lizzie said softly. “We’re both right here.”  


Locking eyes with her across the room, Hope’s struggles stopped and she slumped into Caroline’s embrace. “Oh, thank God …”

“It’s alright, baby girl,” Caroline murmured, rocking her daughter a little. It no longer worked quite as well as it had when she was younger, but Hope had at least inherited her height from her father.

It made Caroline feel better knowing that she was at least taller than her daughter, even if she would soon look younger than her.

“What happened?” Hope asked, her voice muffled by her mother’s shirt. “Why am I so tired?”

“You triggered your curse, honey,” Caroline said gently. “You weren’t expecting it, were you?”  


Hope stiffened in her arms, then shook her head. “No. I should have been, in hindsight; I just … I wasn’t thinking straight.”  


“It’s alright,” Caroline said, rubbing her back. “It’s going to be alright.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be a break in uploading next weekend as I am going away for a few weeks.


	18. Chapter 18

~~~~As soon as Caroline released her daughter, Hope immediately headed straight for Lizzie, who took an automatic step backwards.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”  


Hope stopped just out of reach. “You won’t.”  


“You don’t know that,” Lizzie said.

“I know you haven’t hurt anyone yet,” Hope said. “Also, I can take care of myself.”

Lizzie looked as though she was going to say something else, but she bit her lip and nodded.

Hope watched her for a second longer, before taking her face in her hands and kissing her gently.

A choked sob bubbled out of Lizzie’s throat and she wrapped her girlfriend in a tight hug, burying her face in her hair.

Hope freed one arm and held it out to Josie, who joined in the hug, looking like she was going to start crying as well.

“Ric,” Elena said quietly. “Can we step outside please? I need to tell you something.”

Alaric hesitated, clearly unwilling to be too far from his daughters, but nodded, following Elena out into the backyard.

“What was all that about?” Caroline whispered.

“I … It’s a long story,” Jenna said.

“Here,” Katherine said, reaching across to take Caroline’s hand. “Take a look.”

A hundred emotions crossed Caroline’s face, ending in a fascinating mix of grief and rage. “What happened to her?”  


“No idea,” Katherine said. “She was gone by the time we got there. Whether she cloaked herself, or managed some kind of travelling spell, I don’t know.”

“Well, she’s a dead woman,” Caroline said, typing something into her phone. “I’ll get Freya and the others looking for her.”

The hug broke apart, all three girls a little damp-eyed.

“I want to help,” Hope said.

“Absolutely not,” Caroline said immediately. “Let your father and uncles do what they do best.” She pulled Josie into her arms. “Katherine just showed me Penelope’s memory of what happened, sweetheart; are you alright?”  


Josie shook her head. “Not really.”

“What happened after I triggered the curse?” Hope asked.

“You went full Wonder Woman,” Penelope said. “Or your magic did and then knocked you out.”  


“You exhausted yourself, honey,” Katherine said fondly. “Managed to resurrect two people and give Landon a heart attack.”  


“What did I do?” Hope asked, spinning around to face Landon.

Landon grinned, giving her a hug. “Don’t think you did anything. Just told me where you were.”  


Hope sighed in apparent relief. “And the two …”  


“Uncle Luke’s upstairs,” Lizzie said. “He’s recovering.”  


Hope’s face lit up in a smile. “So who was …” she trailed off, her eyes locking with Jenna’s across the room. “Oh my God …”  


“Hope, this is Jenna,” Caroline said. “Jenna, this is my daughter, Hope.”  


Jenna smiled. “Hi Hope. Elena’s told me a lot about you.”

Hope faltered. “Mom? Where’s Dad?”  


“He’s looking for a florist,” Caroline answered.

“A florist?” Jenna asked, her brow crinkling in confusion. “For me?”  


Caroline nodded.

“Why?” Hope asked, a certain amount of ice in her voice. “Were they fresh out of ‘sorry I murdered you’ cards?”

“Hope!” Caroline chided, but Jenna laughed.

“It’s okay, Caroline.”  


“No, it’s not,” mother and daughter said in unison.

Jenna sighed. “Look, Elena explained everything last night. I’m _not_ okay. I’m not _going_ to be okay for a while. And it’s going to take me a long time before I’m comfortable being around him. But it is not your job - either of you - to take responsibility for what he did. Okay?”

“Still,” Hope said, her eyes softening. “I’m sorry.”  


“You don’t apologise for anything your father did,” Jenna said.

Hope cracked a smile. “Dr Saltzman said that to me once.”

“What did you say?” Jenna asked.

Hope shrugged. “Dad’s not going to apologise; he’s an asshole.”  


Wheels on gravel caught everyone’s attention, and Jeremy gave Jenna a sheepish smile. “I may have called the others on the way over.”

Katherine sighed. “I’ll make more pancakes.”

The front door opened and Tyler appeared in the doorway, his eyes landing on Jenna. “Holy …”

Jenna gave him a shaky smile. “Hey kiddo.”

Tyler shook his head with a laugh and hugged her. “Welcome back, Jenna.”

Two women appeared behind him, both brunette, both unfamiliar.

“Jenna, this is Hayley,” Tyler said, releasing her, gesturing to one of the women.

“And this is Jeanette,” Jeremy added, slipping an arm around the waist of the other one.

Looking at Jeanette now, Jenna could see Elena’s point - if Jeremy had turned any older, they would make for a very odd couple.

“Welcome home,” Jeanette said. “Sorry I stole your nephew.”

“I’m just glad he’s still here,” Jenna said with a breathless laugh. “Elena speaks very highly of both of you, so it’s lovely to meet you.”

“Jenna …”  


The rest of the car’s occupants had now gathered in the doorway. If seeing Jeremy had brought home the reality of how much time had passed, Liz and Carol cemented it. 

Beside them, Bonnie was hand-in-hand with a man she assumed was Enzo.

It was Bonnie who moved first, releasing her boyfriend’s hand in favour of reaching for Jenna’s. As Jenna took her hand, a shiver of energy ran through her.

Bonnie smiled. “Welcome home.”

As Bonnie stepped back, Liz and Carol hurried forward, enveloping her in the kind of hug Miranda might have given her.

One of Liz’s arms disappeared and an extra person replaced it - Hope, Jenna assumed from the former sheriff’s whispered words.

“She’s not going to disappear again, is she?” Carol asked, unknowingly voicing the same question Jenna had been trying not to think about since she had woken.

“She’s here for good,” Bonnie answered. “I just checked.”

Relief flooded into Jenna’s body, and she felt herself begin to cry again, as her sister’s best friends tightened their embrace, anchoring her while she broke down.

***

While Liz, Carol and Bonnie fussed over Jenna, Lizzie slipped away to the library. Outside, she could hear Elena trying to comfort her father after breaking the news that her mother’s death was not the tragic misfortune they had believed it to be.

Alaric had never shied away from letting his daughters know that emotions were okay, that adults got them too, and that sometimes people were sad.

But something about hearing her father cry just didn’t sit right.

Warmth settled beside her and she looked up into Hope’s smiling face.

“You’re really warm,” she murmured.

“And you’re really cold.” Hope shrugged. “Werewolves run hot, vampires run cold. We balance each other.”

“You never wanted to trigger the curse,” Lizzie whispered. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“Lizzie …” Hope began.

“You didn’t realise that’s what would happen,” Lizzie said. “If you had …”  


“I still would have done it,” Hope interrupted. “I would … Lizzie, look at me.”

Lizzie dragged her gaze upwards, until she met Hope’s gaze.

“I would sooner go through the werewolf transformation every single night,” Hope said in a low voice, “than live a single day without you in it.”

The words settled on Lizzie like an oath, tinged with old magic most had forgotten, weighted with the reminder that Mikaelsons did _not let go_.

Lizzie managed a smile. “Till the bitter end?”  


Hope nodded. “Always and forever.”

Lizzie leaned forwards, resting her forehead against Hope’s. “Do you think Dad and Jenna are going to get back together?”  


“Not if you and Josie aren’t okay,” Hope answered. “Not to mention - she’s dealing with being a new vampire, and he’s just learned the truth about your mom. I doubt either of them are up for anything like that right now.”

Lizzie nodded. “Good point. Is Bonnie going to get her a daylight ring?”  


“Aunt Elena let me go and plunder,” Hope said. “I’ve already done it. I know she said it’s not up to me, but it’s the least I could do, considering that my dad killed her.” She hesitated. “I’ve got one for you too.”  


“Well, you could have led with that,” Lizzie said, smiling.

Hope didn’t laugh, looking strangely nervous. “If you don’t like it, we can find something else.”

“Why wouldn’t I like it?” Lizzie asked.

Hope pulled a small ring out of her pocket and Lizzie’s breath caught in her throat. It reminded her of Caroline’s in a way, the blue of the lapis lazuli surrounded by small diamonds that glinted in the light.

“Hope,” she said, in what she hoped was a measured tone, “I love you, but I really hope this isn’t your way of proposing to me.”

Now Hope laughed, taking her right hand and slipping the ring on to her finger. “No. But … a promise, maybe? I can’t imagine a life without you, Lizzie.”  


“A promise,” Lizzie echoed, lacing her fingers through Hope’s. “That I can do.”

***

While Alaric and Caroline prepared to return to New Orleans with the kids, Jenna slipped out to the back yard with a cup of coffee.

It was unreasonable and unrealistic to expect Klaus to stay away from his daughter after she had been missing for three days, especially now she had woken up, and she still wasn’t ready to look him in the eye, no matter what Elena had told her.

So instead she took advantage of Hope’s gift (and if anything good had come out of the whole mess, it was her) and sat in the sun.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

Jenna glanced up. “Shouldn’t you be teenager-wrangling?”

Alaric chuckled, taking the seat beside her. “Caroline’s far better at that than I am. Besides, they don’t need much wrangling. It’s not like they packed for the trip. Are you okay?”  


“I feel like I should be asking you that,” Jenna said gently.

Ric paused, his mask crumpling in a second. “Knowing the truth isn’t going to bring her back.”  


“No, but it doesn’t make it any easier,” Jenna said. “I am so sorry.”  


Alaric shook his head. “She didn’t even tell me she’d seen her mother.”  


“She probably didn’t want you to worry,” Jenna said fairly. “I know it sounds strange but, from what Elena said … I think she and I would have been friends.”  


“You’d have loved her,” Alaric said honestly. “A few months after she died, I was … struggling. And Caroline came to talk some sense into me. She told me that you two were probably standing on the other side yelling at me to get my head on straight.”

Jenna smiled. “I’m sure we were.” She sighed. “I wish I could remember.”

“Me too,” Alaric said softly.

“Did she know who I was?” Jenna asked. “Lizzie’s named after me. Please tell me she knew when you called her that.”

Ric smiled sadly. “She knew. And actually, she named Lizzie. When she and I met, I’d only just come back from the dead, literally. I was mourning you and Elena. She was dealing with losing her family - or so she thought. We both walked into that relationship with eyes wide open. She said that those things brought us together, in a way.”  


“It’s ironic, really,” Jenna said quietly, “that it was Lizzie you named after me.”  


“Why?” Ric asked.

“Because I’m bipolar too,” Jenna said. “Before you ask, I didn’t tell you so you had plausible deniability if someone decided you should have reported it, me being Elena and Jeremy’s guardian and all.” She hesitated. “That was one of the reasons I was so angry about being lied to. I knew you were hiding something, but … I was relatively lucky with mine, I guess. It was fairly mild, at least compared to some of the stories I read. My thing was paranoia. I got so used to it, that when I knew you were hiding something, I just talked myself out of it because it was probably my mind playing tricks on me again.”

“I’m so sorry,” Ric said. “If I’d known …”  


“I know,” Jenna said. “And I do get why you didn’t tell me. I was more upset because … If you weren’t telling me and it was just affecting you, that would be one thing. But how would you feel if you found out that Lizzie and Josie were in danger and someone you knew was lying to you about it?”  


“I’d be furious,” Alaric said honestly. “And you’re right. I should have told you. Even if I was capable of helping them, I should have told you, as their parent.”

“Thank you,” Jenna said, taking a sip of coffee. It should have gone cold, but it still felt warm to her - maybe it had something to do with what Elena said, about vampires running cold. “If it’s okay with you, Lizzie’s given me her phone number; once I have a new phone, I’ll send her mine.”  


“Of course,” Alaric said immediately. “You’re both in the same boat; it makes sense for you to talk about it. I wish Josie was taking it as well.”  


Jenna smiled sadly. “Lizzie’s a daddy’s girl, isn’t she?”  


“How did you know?”  


“Miranda was the daddy’s girl,” Jenna whispered. “She took it a lot better when Dad had … friends after Mom died.”  


“Jenna …” Alaric began.

“No,” Jenna said firmly. “We’re not having this conversation.”  


“But …”  


“No,” Jenna repeated, a little gentler this time. “It’s been twenty years, Ric - for you. For me, it’s been twenty-four hours, give or take. I became a vampire, then I died, and now my niece is married with children, and my nephew is a fully-fledged adult vampire. You’ve been widowed - again - and you have two teenage daughters. And you’ve just found out your wife was murdered. Here and now is not the time to have this conversation.”

Alaric hesitated. “When is, then?”

“When Josie isn’t hovering at the window watching us,” Jenna said, glancing back at the house.

Through the glass, she saw Josie turn a little pink, but she didn’t move.

“And when things have settled.”

“We do need to talk, Jenna,” Alaric said. “Whatever the outcome, we need to talk. I don’t like how things were left.”  


“Neither do I,” Jenna said softly. “I thought I learned my lesson when Miranda died, not to just assume that you’ll have a later. And I was so angry with you that I forgot that. And then you were possessed, but I got a second chance - and I _still_ put it off. So just in case there is no later - I love you.”

Alaric opened his mouth.

“No,” Jenna said, for a third time. “You’re going to go back to your daughters, take them home, and make sure they’re okay, because that is the priority right now. We are going to put this conversation on hold, and we’ll pick it up later, okay?”

Alaric hesitated, but a horn sounded at the front of the house, causing Josie to disappear from the window, calling for her father at the same time.

“Alright.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Don’t be a stranger.”


	19. Chapter 19

Within an hour of house emptying, Elena and Katherine bundled Jenna into a car and took her out to the Salvatore lake house.

They had just got out of the car, when Katherine sighed. “Elena.”

“What?” Elena asked.

“Did you pack the blood bags?”

Elena sighed as well now. “You said you were going to.”  


“And then I forgot,” Katherine said, handing her the keys.

“You forgot, and I’m going back,” Elena said. “Shouldn’t I stay with Jenna?”

Katherine didn’t answer.

Jenna watched, a little fascinated, as the two seemed to get into a staring contest. Finally, Elena broke their gaze. “Fine. I won’t be long.”  


Katherine smirked. “Excellent. Come on in, Jenna.”

“I thought we needed to be invited in by a human,” Jenna said, following her inside.

“Only if the house has a human owner,” Katherine said. “This one doesn’t. Make yourself at home; Elena won’t be long.”  


“You know, I remember more now,” Jenna said. “I wasn’t really paying attention when I turned but … You compelled me to stab myself.”  


Katherine pulled a face. “I’d forgotten about that. Sorry.”

“Why?” Jenna asked. “I mean, why did you do it?”

“I was trying to keep Elena safe from Klaus,” Katherine answered.

Jenna was quiet for a few moments. “Sorry, I don’t see the connection.”

Katherine sighed. “I was trying to destroy the moonstone before Klaus could get it, so he’d have no use for Elena. I was also trying to protect Damon from Klaus by convincing everyone that I was in love with Stefan, so Klaus would have no reason to go after him. However, if that worked, Klaus might go after Stefan, in which case he’d find Elena, so I was trying to break them up.”  


“ So you compelled me to stab myself … so Elena and Stefan would break up?” Jenna asked.

“I never said it was a great plan,” Katherine said. “Although it did work for a bit. Then they found out about Klaus and it all went to hell.”

“I get the feeling it would have gone to hell with or without you,” Jenna said heavily.

Katherine reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle. “You’re a tequila girl, right?”

Jenna raised an eyebrow. “You forgot the blood bags but remembered the alcohol.”  


“I didn’t forget the blood bags,” Katherine said. “I left them behind.”  


“Why?” Jenna asked.

“Because if you’re having trouble adjusting, we both know Elena will blame herself,” Katherine said. “And we also both know that you’ll pretend you’re fine so she doesn’t. So I figured if I could get her out of the way for a bit, you’ll have a bit of space to deal with it. So … How are you really coping?”

Jenna didn’t answer. 

“Come on, I brought tequila,” Katherine said coaxingly.

Jenna cracked a smile. “Yeah, that was a bad idea. You’ve clearly never seen me drunk.”

“I bet you’re fun though,” Katherine said.

“That was me,” Jenna said with a sigh. “Then Miranda died.”

Katherine observed her for a few moments. “Hardest thing about being a vampire,” she said, “is knowing I will never see my first daughter again. Even if I do die, Anastasia was human, so she’s gone to a place I never will.”

“I don’t remember the last conversation I had with Miranda,” Jenna blurted out. “Elena called me, you know, after that party, because she knew she wouldn’t get into trouble with me. But I couldn’t go and pick her up, because I’d been smoking pot. And Miranda knew that. She’d never admit it, but she knew. So instead she and Grayson went to pick Elena up, because Gray was sober, and Miranda would know how to handle it if Elena and Matt had had a fight, and … I don’t remember what I said. I don’t remember the last time I told her I loved her; I just …”

Katherine reached across and took her hand. “Let it in,” she murmured. “Blocking it out is the first step to a dangerous slope.”

“I probably sorted it out,” Jenna whispered. “And I don’t remember it. And now I’m never going to see her again.” She wiped her eyes with her free hand. “Don’t get me wrong - I’m not going anywhere. But I didn’t want this, Katherine. I didn’t want any of this.”

***

Two weeks later, Hope stood in the basement of the plantation house, fidgeting. “Mom, why is Dad waiting in the bayou and why is Mariella stripping off?”  


“Think you’ll find the second half of that is the answer to the first,” Mariella said cheerfully, wiggling out of her jeans.

Hope sighed. “Okay, so what’s the answer to the second half?”  


“Your clothes are going to rip, sweetheart,” Caroline said, pulling her own shirt off. “It doesn’t bother your father, but it does bother me.”

Hope hesitated. “You know I could have done this at the school.”  


“I stayed with Mariella for her first transformation,” Caroline said. “I’m not leaving you on your own.”

“I wouldn’t be on my own,” Hope said. “There are other people there.”

Her mother caught her eye and waited.

“I don’t you to think any less of me,” Hope admitted finally. “I don’t know if I’m going to deal with the pain gracefully.”

“No one does, honey,” Caroline said gently. It wasn’t a surprising revelation - and certainly explained why Hope had insisted Mariella come home for the full moon as well.

“I didn’t,” Mariella added.

“I’ll stay human for as long as I can,” Caroline continued. “Then I’ll turn as well and we’ll head out the hatch into the bayou to find your father, alright?”

Hope nodded, finally following her mother and cousin’s example - and just in time too.

Caroline forced herself to watch.

Mariella had been through the transformation enough times that she bore it with some stoicism, but Hope let out a bloodcurdling scream of pain.

A howl went up outside - Klaus - and Caroline tried to catch her daughter’s eye, silently pleading with her husband to remain where he was. “Breathe through it, Hope. The more you fight it, the more it hurts.”

As Hope fell to the floor and her body began to change, Caroline pushed through her own transformation.

Unlike Klaus - or any of the other hybrids for that matter - Caroline did not turn a lot. She had noticed, however, that with each transformation the pain dulled a little, just as Klaus had said it would.

By the time her vision cleared, there were two wolves sitting in front of her - Mariella’s slightly-auburn coloured one, and Hope’s white, matching her father’s.

Hope was panting, clearly exhausted from the ordeal, and Caroline trotted forwards without thinking, nuzzling her daughter comfortingly.

Hope whined, and Caroline nudged her more insistently, encouraging her to get to her feet, so she could lead them both up the basement steps and out the hatch into the moonlight.

Klaus was waiting for them and he immediately ran to Hope’s side, urging her on.

The four ran all night, darting in and out of the bayou, occasionally joining with the Crescents before breaking off again.

As time passed, Hope began to relax, playing hide and seek with Mariella under her parents’ watchful eyes.

When the sky began to lighten, the sun’s rays just drifting up over the horizon, Caroline urged the girls back towards the house and back down into the basement.

She shifted back as the girls began their transformation, shaking off the weariness of the experience and reaching for a blood bag.

As she drained it, she pulled the basement hatch closed and made her way back down the stairs to where Hope and Mariella were lying on the floor.

“No wonder you’re all so tired the day after,” Hope mumbled.

Caroline hushed her, helping the half-asleep teenagers into the sweats she’d left out for them.

The interior basement door opened.

“Everyone covered?”  


Caroline slipped on a robe and tied it around her waist. “We are now.”

Klaus made his way down. “She did well.”  


“She did,” Caroline agreed, pressing a kiss to her daughter’s head. “Let’s get them to bed.”

Klaus nodded, scooping Hope into his arms, leaving Caroline to pick up their niece.

Mariella cuddled into her the same way she had when she was nine, when she and Caroline had first made this trip. “Thanks Aunt Care.”  


“You’re welcome honey.”

They put the girls in the same room, unsurprised when Hope immediately curled into her cousin, nor when Mariella wrapped protective arms around her, having taken on the role of big sister as soon as she felt comfortable enough to remember that she was older than Hope (albeit only by a few months).

The girls were asleep before they had even reached the door.

“Will she be okay?” Caroline murmured as they made their way down the hall.

“In time,” Klaus answered, knowing better than to give his wife platitudes he couldn’t back up.

“I should start getting ready for breakfast,” Caroline said, unsurprised when he caught her around the waist and tugged her into the next bedroom.

“They’ll sleep for a few hours at least,” Klaus said, his eyes still alight with adrenaline. “I can think of a far better use of our time.”

***

Once the anniversary of Miranda and Grayson’s death had passed, Jenna began to relax into her new reality, taking note of everything Katherine, Elena and Damon taught her and, to everyone’s relief, she ended up taking to vampirism with the same ease Elena had.

She and Lizzie spoke on the phone almost every day - far more often that she and Alaric did. They did most of their communicating via text, and almost always without saying anything important.

Jenna’s only concern was than Lizzie did not seem to be handling her transition as well as she was - and she was fairly sure the school counsellor wasn’t helping.

And, of course …

“I can’t stay here forever.”  


“Jenna,” Elena said tiredly, “you are welcome here. You know that.”  


Jenna smiled, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand. “I know that, honey. And I appreciate it. But you and Jeremy have your own lives now. And,” she added before Elena could say anything, “the entire town knows I died twenty years ago. I know that you’re fairly sure that vampires are the worst kept secret in this town, but I don’t think opening up the idea of resurrection is a good idea. What’s to stop someone getting an idea in their head and trying to resurrect their loved ones?”

Elena grimaced. “Yeah, fair point.”

“I can’t just stay in this house, Elena,” Jenna said. “I’m bored stiff. Not that I don’t enjoy morning coffee dates on your days off.”

Elena smiled sadly. “Where are you going to go?”  


“I don’t know,” Jenna said. “I always said I’d go travelling after I graduated. London, maybe, or Thailand, or …”

“New Orleans?” Elena asked with a sly smile.

Jenna hid her own smile in her coffee mug. “Maybe.” Her phone buzzed with an incoming call, and she checked the screen before answering. “Hi Lizzie.”

_“Jenna?”_

Lizzie’s voice was shaking. With what, Jenna wasn’t sure, but whatever it was, it caused her to jump to her feet, reaching for her purse. “What happened?”

_“I … Am I a monster?”_

Elena sucked in a breath, having clearly started listening as soon as Jenna reacted.

“No, honey, you’re not.” Jenna forced herself to calm down, speaking to Lizzie in slow, gentle tones, the way she would with a patient, rather than someone she had come to care for. “Where’s this coming from?”  


_“Did I make a bad choice?”_

Jenna caught the keys Elena tossed to her - clearly her niece knew what was going through her head, even if she hadn’t realised. “I don’t think so. Where are you?”

_“I was selfish,”_ Lizzie whispered. _“I couldn’t deal with dying.”_

“Not many people could at sixteen,” Jenna said, sliding into the driver’s seat of Elena’s car. “I … Did you have a counselling session this morning?”

_“I’m going mad,”_ Lizzie said. _“I hear her say things she doesn’t say, but … She does say it, Jenna - I’m not mad.”_

“You’re not mad, Lizzie,” Jenna said soothingly. “I’m on my way to the airport, okay? Just … You’re not selfish, you’re not mad, you’re not a monster, and you didn’t make a bad decision.”  


_“But what if I did?”_

“Well, why did you make that decision?” Jenna asked. “What would have happened if you didn’t?”  


_“I’d be dead,”_ Lizzie answered with a slight hiccup. _“Or Josie would.”_

“Then I’d say you made the right choice,” Jenna said.

_“I could have rigged it, so I’d die,”_ Lizzie said.

Jenna bit back her instinctive response. “And what would that do to Josie, do you think?”  


Lizzie was worryingly quiet for a few moments. _“She’d be devastated.”_

“I think so too,” Jenna said. “And I’m very glad that you’re not dead.”

_“What if I am going mad?”_

“You’re not,” Jenna said. “I promise you’re not. Tell me about your classes yesterday.”

Distraction was not the ideal path to take, but Lizzie was nearly a thousand miles away, and telephone counselling was only effective when the patient wasn’t practically on the edge - which it sounded like Lizzie was.

She pulled into the airport parking lot, more than ready to compel herself a flight to New Orleans, but was stopped short when she saw a woman standing outside the terminal holding a board with her name on it.

She smiled as Jenna approached. “Miss Sommers?”

Jenna nodded. “Lizzie, I’m at the airport, honey; I just need to sort out a flight.”

“Dr Salvatore called Mrs Mikaelson and she asked us to fly you to New Orleans.”

A chartered flight. She wouldn’t need a ticket after all, nor would she be confined to the airport timetable.

“Thank you,” Jenna said. “Will I …?”  
“I’m afraid you will need to end your call for the flight.”

Jenna pulled a face, but nodded, following the woman through the terminal to the runway. “Lizzie, honey, I’m going to need to hang up. Where are you right now?”

_“In the grounds,”_ Lizzie answered. _“I’m not quite sure where.”_

“Okay, sweetheart, I want you to get somewhere safe,” Jenna said. “If you can find Josie or Hope or your dad, then do that, but if you can’t without making things worse, then just find somewhere safe, okay?”  


_“Okay.”_ Lizzie let out a sob. _“It’s never been this bad.”_

“I know,” Jenna said soothingly. “I know it’s bad; you’re doing really well, Lizzie. I’ll call you as soon as I land. Promise me you’ll answer.”

_Promise me you won’t do anything stupid._

_“I promise.”_

“Good girl.” Jenna hung up and hurried up the steps to the plane.

The woman who had met her was already seated, her seatbelt on.

“Let me guess,” Jenna said. “Seatbelt, tray table, window blind?”

She smiled. “Same as a regular flight.”  


“You know,” Jenna said, sitting down and strapping in, “I’ve never actually been on a plane before. Just seen the movies.”  


“We’re going to spoil you.”

Jenna smiled weakly. “Probably.”

“My name is Angela,” she said, raising her voice to be heard over the engine. “I’ll be your flight attendant for today. In the event of an emergency, try to get out of the plane before it catches fire.”

Jenna would have laughed, but she suddenly realised that the woman beside her had a human heartbeat, so naturally she would be worrying about her own safety if anything happened.

At least, she should be.

As soon as the plane levelled out, Angela undid her seatbelt. “Can I get you a drink?”

“Oh, no, thank you,” Jenna said automatically.

“Blood?” Angela asked.

Jenna hesitated. “Do you have blood bags on board?”  


“We do,” Angela said. “Or we have it on tap, so to speak.”  


“A bag would be lovely, thanks,” Jenna said. “Are you …?”  


“I’m not under compulsion,” Angela said. “Mrs Mikaelson doesn’t like it. The only compulsion we’re under is keep their secrets.”

“So … what do you get out of it?” Jenna asked.

“A very easy job, excellent pay and fantastic benefits,” Angela answered. “I really don’t mind if you’d rather have it from the vein.”

“Thank you,” Jenna said, reassured that she wasn’t lying. “But I’m a rather new vampire and my technique is a little messy. So a bag please.”

Even with the blood, the flight felt as though it lasted forever. By the time they landed in New Orleans, Jenna was about ready to jump out of her skin. She bid a hasty goodbye to Angela and the pilot, not surprised in the least to find Caroline waiting for her in the driver’s seat of a smart convertible.

“I’ll take you to the school,” she said in greeting. “Elena said Lizzie called.”  


“She did,” Jenna said, already calling back. “Thanks for the ride.”  


_“Jenna?”_

“I’m here,” Jenna said, as Caroline pulled out of the parking lot. “Where are you?”  


_“I’m in the Old Mill.”_

_“_ I know where that is,” Caroline murmured. “Ten minutes.”

“Ten minutes,” Jenna repeated. “We’ll be there soon, Lizzie.”

There was a little sniffle on the other end of the phone. _“Kay.”_

“What happened?” Jenna asked. “What triggered this one?”

Lizzie didn’t answer at first. Then, very quietly …

_“Would Mom be disappointed in me?”  
_

“No!” Jenna said automatically, comforted by the fact that Caroline had done the same thing. “Of course not, Lizzie; there’s nothing to be disappointed about.”

_“But what if she would?”_

“Honey, I never met your mom,” Jenna said, trying to keep her voice calm. “But I do know your dad. And I know your dad loved your mom. And that means that your mom was not the sort of person who would be disappointed in you for trying to protect your sister.”

_“But what if there was another way?”_

They were back at the beginning again.

“Where’s Hope?” Jenna asked instead.

_“I think they’re looking for me,”_ Lizzie whispered. _“She probably came here first but I wasn’t there then.”_

“She’s not answering her phone,” Caroline said. “Probably because she’s trying to call Lizzie.”

_“I couldn’t … She’s blaming herself,”_ Lizzie said. _“Because she made me like this, even though I agreed to it - she hates herself for turning me into a monster.”_

The words were starting to send chills down Jenna’s back. Something about them wasn’t right - they didn’t sound like some dark corner of Lizzie’s mind.

“Who told you that, Lizzie?” Jenna asked.

_“I’m going mad.”_

Caroline was pulling up at wrought-iron gates that would not have looked out of place in a horror movie, behind which a long drive swept up to an old manor house.

Stopping just outside the gates, Caroline reached out and pressed the intercom button.

_“Laughlin Academy …”_

“It’s Caroline,” she said briskly. “Let me in please.”

With a creaking noise, the gates began to swing open, but Jenna was already out of the car. “Where’s …?”  


“Through the woods that way,” Caroline said, pointing. “Follow the river; you’ll know it when you see it. I’ll get Ric.”

Jenna was already running, grateful for her new speed. Sure enough, the old building stuck out like a sore thumb against the forest greenery, broken down and uninviting (and exactly the kind of place she and her friends would have gone for parties when she was younger).

“Lizzie?”

To her relief, when she stepped through the door, Lizzie was curled up in the corner, shaking and in tears, but in one piece and apparently unharmed.

Without thinking, Jenna hung up her phone and blurred to her side, wrapping the girl in her arms. “It’s alright,” she murmured, as Lizzie curled into her embrace. “It’s going to be alright.”


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I should add a warning for gaslighting in this chapter. It's not something that triggers me, but I got under my own skin writing it.

Jenna had no idea how long she’d sat there with Lizzie before she heard footsteps. “I think your dad’s coming, sweetheart. Do you want to tell me what happened?”

Lizzie sniffled. “I’m going mad.”  


Jenna pressed a kiss to her head. “You’re not, honey. What happened?”

“I had a counselling session,” Lizzie whispered. “Miss Tig has this way of … She makes me feel like I’m going mad.”  


A shadow fell across them and Jenna glanced up. Sure enough, Alaric and Caroline had arrived, along with Josie and Hope, and two adults she didn’t know.

Josie immediately rushed to her sister’s side, but Lizzie froze in Jenna’s arms. 

“I can’t,” she whispered. “I don’t want to talk to her right now.”

“Now, Elizabeth,” the unknown woman said gently. “I know this morning was difficult, but you can’t run away every time you don’t want to talk about something.”

If this was the school counsellor, Jenna didn’t blame Lizzie for having issues with her. She wasn’t even the one being spoken to and she was bristling.

“Lizzie,” she said, her voice just as calm. “Look at me.”

Lizzie met her eyes and Jenna bit back a curse at the pure emotion in them.

“Ignore her for right now,” she said, ignoring the woman’s protest. “Just focus on me. You’re on the verge of a panic attack, honey, and _that’s not helping_.”

Her last words were not-so-subtly aimed at Miss Tig, who shut her mouth, glaring at Jenna as though she had been outright insulted.

“That’s it,” Jenna continued, focusing back on Lizzie. “Deep breaths. Good girl.”  


Something cold and metal pressed into Jenna’s hand and she glanced down to see Lizzie’s phone. 

A voice recording app was open, with one saved recording.

“I want you to listen to it,” she whispered. “I need … I need to know I’m not going mad.”

Jenna nodded, pressing play and lifting the phone to her ear. She didn’t need to, of course, but she was fairly sure Lizzie didn’t want the whole room to hear.

_“Now, Elizabeth, if this is going to work; we really need to talk to each other.”_

_“What is there to say?”_ Lizzie’s voice asked. _“I’ve been coming to you since I was twelve. And you haven’t helped yet.”_

_“That’s because you don’t let me. You need to talk to me. Do you feel your decision in May was a mistake?”_

_“No. I did what I had to do. It wasn’t a mistake.”_

_“What wasn’t?”  
_

_“Becoming a vampire.”  
_

_“You think it was a mistake?”  
_

_“No - you asked if I thought it was a mistake.”_

_“I asked you if it had been bothering you. You said mistake. Do you feel it’s turned you into a monster?”_

_“I’m not a monster.”  
_

_“I never said you were. Is that how you feel?”  
_

_“No! You said …”  
_

_“Elizabeth. We’ve talked about this. The bipolar makes you paranoid. How do you think your mother would feel?”  
_

_“About the bipolar?”  
_

_“About you being a monster.”  
_

_“You just said monster again.”  
_

_“No, I said vampire. Lizzie, I’m concerned that you’re getting worse.”  
_

_“I’m not getting worse! You’re saying things and then insisting you didn’t!”  
_

_“Elizabeth - I am not your enemy. I am trying to help you. Your mother would want you to take my help, however disappointed she’d be in what you’ve become.”  
_

_“You … You think Mom would be disappointed in me?”  
_

_“Lizzie … Where’s that come from?”  
_

_“You … Never mind - I’m leaving.”  
_

_“Lizzie, you can’t leave; I’m worried about you. I’m calling your father and suggesting we try some more rigorous therapy.”  
_

_“I don’t want you anywhere near me anymore.”  
_

_“Elizabeth, you are getting into a state. I don’t want you leaving like this - I’m concerned you’ll just walk into the sun.”  
_

_“I am not suicidal!”  
_

_“I never said you were - are you sure?”  
_

Jenna paused the recording and set it back to the beginning, closing her eyes to take deep calming breaths herself.

“Jenna?” Lizzie asked in a small voice.

“You are not mad,” Jenna said firmly, opening her eyes again to meet Lizzie’s eyes. “You are not mad. I heard everything as well. And you will not have to deal with that woman ever again.”  


“Now just one moment,” Miss Tig protested, “I don’t know who you think you are but you have no say in this. Elizabeth …”  


In a blur, Jenna disappeared from Lizzie’s side and stopped just short of running into her. “If you take one more step towards her,” she said, her voice dripping with venom, “I will rip your head off.”  


“Jenna!” Alaric protested, reaching for her arm as the unknown man moved to intervene.

“Lizzie?” Jenna asked.

“It’s okay.”  


Jenna thrust the phone at Ric. “Listen to it. Listen to what she’s been doing.”  


“I have been counselling …”  


“That is not counselling; that is gaslighting,” Jenna snapped. 

Ric’s hand had stilled on her arm and she chanced a glance at him, reading in his face the same horror that she was sure had crossed own.

Beside him, Caroline sucked in a breath, clearly listening in.

Finally, Ric nodded. “Lizzie, I’m going to need to hang on to this for a bit.”  


Lizzie sniffled a little, tucked up in her sister’s arms. “That’s okay.”  


“Ric …” Miss Tig began.

“Emma, if you take one more step towards my daughter, I will let Jenna rip your head off,” Alaric said darkly. “Dorian, take her up to my office, please.”

Beside Caroline, Hope let out a sigh of relief. “Thank God.”

Ric turned to her. “Hope, I’m sorry. You tried to tell me, didn’t you?”  


Hope shrugged. “I wasn’t sure if maybe I was imagining things.”  


“What do you mean, honey?” Caroline asked. “Did you hear that?”  


Hope shook her head. “I didn’t listen in. If Lizzie wants me to know, she’ll tell me.” She finally left her mother’s side to approach her girlfriend, taking the hand reaching out to her. “A lot of people had issues with Miss Tig. I know Roman felt that she was implying that he should never have saved my life. And I always felt like she was focusing more on my family being psychopaths than on helping me deal with being kidnapped.”  


“And she told you that?” Caroline asked Ric, aghast.

“Not in those words,” Alaric said tiredly. “She just said it wasn’t helping. Why didn’t you say something else?”  


“Because she’s clever with it,” Hope said. “She never _says_ anything, just heavily implies. And if you call her out, she tells you that you’ve misunderstood. I guess with Lizzie she felt she could be more blatant because the bipolar can make her paranoid anyway.”  


“Paranoid, yes,” Jenna said. “But it doesn’t put words in people’s mouths.”  


“I was so worried when you didn’t come back,” Hope murmured.

“Sorry,” Lizzie whispered. “I just … I don’t know.”  


“How did this even happen?” Ric asked. “We did a background check, right?”  


“There wasn’t anything that jumped out,” Caroline said. “But then this was her first job.”

“She’s supernatural?” Jenna asked.

“A witch,” Ric confirmed. “It was ideal. She was already in the know; she knew at least some of what these kids are going through; and she had all the degrees.”

“Well, I’ve got that,” Jenna said, rolling her eyes. “It doesn’t automatically make someone a good counsellor.”

“You never graduated though,” Ric said.

“I did finish my course though,” Jenna said. “I passed my Masters with first class honours.”

“Jenna, that’s …” Ric trailed off. “Can you do me a favour?”  


“I think the words you were looking for was ‘You passed your Masters in an online setting despite becoming guardian to two teenagers barely younger than you and exceeded all expectations in doing so - well done; you’re amazing,’” Jenna said. “What kind of favour?”  


“Well, that goes without saying,” Ric said. “If Hope can gather up the students that had complaints, are you okay to talk to them and just clarify what those complaints are? You’re going to have more of an idea if it was ‘normal counselling’ or something more.”

Jenna hesitated. “I will. But I want to make sure Lizzie’s settled first.”

“I’ll go and get started,” Hope said.

She darted off in the direction of the school, as Josie pulled Lizzie to her feet. “Come on. Can’t sleep here.”

“I’m tired,” Lizzie murmured.

“I’m not surprised,” Jenna said, falling into step beside them. “You did really well today, Lizzie.”  


“Didn’t feel like it,” Lizzie said with a sigh.

“You did,” Josie agreed. “Remember when you used to have an episode and you’d make things explode? You did it in the kitchen once.”  


“Dad made me meditate for two weeks straight,” Lizzie grumbled.

“Well, you nearly took his head off with a kitchen knife,” Josie said.

Jenna choked back a laugh. “I should not find that funny, should I?”  


“Well, you know he’s okay,” Josie said. “So I guess it’s fine.”

Hope’s reasoning for running ahead became clear when the entered the school to find an empty lobby.

Lizzie managed a tiny smile. “How many did she scare, do you reckon?”

Jenna tilted her head. “It sounds like they’re all through that door.”  


“That’s the main hall,” Josie said. “That’s where we have meals, and where Dad gives announcements. I’m guessing Hope figured that was the easiest place to take them to talk.”

“Well, it sounds like a lot of people,” Jenna said. “Did they all have issues with her?”

“Wouldn’t surprise me,” Josie said with a sigh. “She’s …”  


“A bitch,” Lizzie finished. “She’s had it in for me since she got here. And I bet she didn’t help you at all after our birthday, did she?”  


“No,” Josie admitted. “She just … She never came out and said that you were wrong, but she said enough that it just reinforced things.”  


Jenna followed the girls all the way up to the top floor, to an attic room with two beds. A curtain hung in the middle, which could clearly be drawn across to give them their own spaces if necessary.

Lizzie more or less collapsed on to one of the beds and Jenna hovered by her side for a moment. “Are you going to be okay?”  


“I’m fine,” Lizzie said into her pillow. “Thanks.”

“Alright,” Jenna said, a little reluctantly. “I’m going to go down to the hall then, and find out who I need to talk to.”  


Just as she reached the door, arms were suddenly flung around her waist and she faltered, hugging Josie back after a split-second of shock.

“Thank you,” Josie whispered, “for looking after my sister.”

***

Down in Alaric’s office, he and Caroline were quietly sharing a glass of bourbon.

“Why?” Ric asked after a few moments.

Caroline sighed. “Pass.”

“Not helpful. We’ll need a new counsellor,” Ric continued.

Caroline smiled. “Why do I think you’ve already got one in mind?”

“She’d be perfect for the job, Caroline,” Ric pointed out.

“If she wants the job,” Caroline said. “Given that two of her patients would be your daughters.”

There was a soft tap at the door and Jenna poked her head in. “Is this a private party?”

“Not at all.” Ric pulled out a new glass and poured her a drink. “I know you’re more of a tequila girl, but I don’t have any onsite.”

“Probably a good idea,” Jenna said. “Although I have learned to appreciate a good whisky. I blame Damon. Where’s …?”  


“Miss Tig’s employment has been terminated,” Caroline said calmly. “Dorian is helping her pack her things. Did you find anything else?”  


Jenna sighed. “Not really, no. Hope was right about that. For the most part it was just implications. If it wasn’t for Lizzie, I’d say that she was just a bad counsellor - you do need to help draw out issues that the patient might not even realise they had, but … there’s a good way to do that and a bad way to do it, and Emma was definitely _not_ doing it the right way.”

“If it wasn’t for Lizzie?” Caroline prompted.

“Well, that’s more than just heavy implication,” Jenna said. “It’s downright cruel. Intentional gaslighting. She almost certainly made the episodes worse at times, and could easily have driven Lizzie to doing something stupid to make it stop.”

“But why?” Ric asked.

Jenna shrugged. “I doubt we’ll ever know. It could be that she gets some kind of sick kick out of it. Or she just took a disliking to Lizzie. Or she likes the thrill of someone breaking and being the only person to put them back together.”

“Well,” Caroline said with certainty, “I’ve submitted a complaint to the authorities. She certainly won’t be working with children again, if at all.”  


“Speaking of,” Ric said, “we need a new counsellor.”  


Jenna paused, the glass halfway to her lips. “Oh?”

“Emma was convinced that we’d never fire her because she’s uniquely qualified,” Ric said. “Because she can understand what some of the kids are going through and she can deal with the general insanity round here with a certain degree of calm. You do have those qualifications as well.”  


“I wouldn’t say my reaction to Emma was calm,” Jenna pointed out.

“That doesn’t count,” Caroline said, almost dismissively. “Any mother would have reacted like that.”

“I’m not Lizzie’s mother,” Jenna said slowly, painfully aware of Alaric’s eyes on her.

“Mother, stepmother.” Caroline shrugged. “Jo certainly never made the distinction with Elena.” She finally seemed to catch on to the way both of her companions had frozen. “And … you two haven’t had that talk. I’ll just … I have some paperwork to see to.”

She disappeared from the office, the banging door and empty glass the only sign she had been there in the first place.

Jenna forced herself to turn back to meet Ric’s eyes. When she did so, he gave her a weak smile and refilled her glass. “Maybe it’s time for that talk now.”


	21. Chapter 21

Jenna picked up her glass again. “Maybe. Have you talked to the girls?”  


“Not yet,” Ric admitted. “It’s never been a good time.”

“Then it’s not time for ours,” Jenna said, not unkindly. “They have to come first.”  


“Of course,” Ric agreed, something sparking in his eyes. “Thank you.”  


Jenna smiled sadly. “It’s not my first time dealing with teenagers who’ve lost their mother.”

Alaric reached across the table, touching her hand. “I hope you’ll still consider the job.”  


Jenna was quiet for a few moments, taking a sip of her bourbon. “I want to discuss it with them first,” she said finally. “I know why you’re asking me, and you know why you’re asking me; I don’t want them to see it as ‘Dad asking his ex to move in with us’.”  


“Fair enough,” Ric agreed.

“And if I do this,” Jenna continued, “you can’t be my boss. It would be too awkward.”  


“Caroline is headmistress in everything but name,” Ric said. “She can do that.”

Jenna nodded. “In which case, give me a few days to talk to the girls, and then I’ll make a decision.”

“Thank you,” Ric said. “Can you …?”  


“Stay here in the meantime?” Jenna finished with a smile. “Of course. Even if the answer’s no, I’ll stay until you find someone.”

The door opened just as someone tapped on the wood.

“Hope, the knock comes first,” Alaric said, as she walked in with the other teacher from earlier.

“I knocked,” Hope conceded. “Mr Williams opened the door.”  


“Sorry, Ric,” Mr Williams said, glancing at Jenna. “We’ve got a problem.”  


“Dorian, this is Jenna Sommers,” Ric said. “Jenna, Dorian Williams. He was my TA at Tulane and followed me here.”

Jenna gave him a smile. “Hi. Sorry if I gave you a scare earlier.”  


“It’s fine,” Dorian said, sounding a little taken aback. “Sorry - you’re Ric’s Jenna?”  


Jenna pulled a face. “Well, I like to think I’m my own person, but if you’re asking if I’m the one that got resurrected last month, then yes.”

“Sorry, just … Welcome back.”  


“Thanks,” Jenna said. “What’s the problem and do you need me to leave so you can talk about it?”  


“It’s fine.” Ric’s hand pressed hers (she hadn’t even noticed he was still touching her) and withdrew. “What’s wrong?”  


“It’s this.” Hope stepped forwards, placing an object on Alaric’s desk. “I strongly advise you not to touch it.”

Jenna leaned forward to peer at it. It looked like a strange model of the solar system, except the planets weren’t in the right place. “What is it?”  


“I found it in Emma’s office while she was packing,” Dorian said grimly. “I managed to sneak it out, because it just … It didn’t feel right. I’m no witch, but even I can feel that.”  


Ric nodded. “Black magic.”

“Figured we could get it back to her later if it turned out to be nothing,” Dorian continued. “I was bringing it to you when I ran into Hope and she recognised it.”

“It’s called an ascendent,” Hope said. “I’ve only ever seen them in Aunt Freya’s books.”  


“And what’s an ascendent?” Jenna asked.

“It’s a kind of … portal, I guess?” Hope said. “To a prison world. Witches used to use them to trap people, but they’ve fallen out of favour, because the prisoners don’t age, or die, they just … relive the same day, over and over again. And obviously that goes against the balance of nature.”

Jenna sucked in a breath. “Is there anyone in there?”  


“I’m not sure,” Hope said. “If it’s okay with you, Dr Saltzman, I’m going to take this down to the cells in the basement …”  


“Wait,” Jenna interrupted. “Why are there cells in the basement?”  


“That’s where the werewolves transform on the full moon,” Ric explained. “It’s the safest option. Why there, Hope?”  


“Because the only way to tell if there’s anyone in there is to destroy it and let them out,” Hope answered, “and there’s a good chance they’re in there for a reason.”

“Fair enough,” Alaric said, standing up. “I’ll come with you. Dorian, Jenna’s going to be staying with us for the time being - could you …?”  


“Yeah, of course,” Dorian agreed. “I’ll show you to a room.”  


“Thanks,” Jenna said. “Ric - let me know if you need me.” She followed Dorian out of the office and up through the school to what she assumed was the staff quarters.

“The student dorms are on the floors above us,” Dorian said, proving her right. “For the most part, it’s two students to a dorm, although there are a few on their own for various reasons.”

“Do you mix and match?” Jenna asked out of interest. “Or keep witches with witches and so on.”

“We try and keep like with like,” Dorian answered. “We have a couple that aren’t, but only when both parties feel comfortable with it.” He stopped outside one of the doors and pushed it open.  “I think this is the only room that’s fully made up. Bathroom’s through that door; I’ll get some toiletries for you.”

“Thank you,” Jenna said. “I didn’t get a chance to pack.”

“There is a mini-fridge,” Dorian added. “I’ll bring some blood bags up as well. Breakfast starts at seven-thirty and lasts for about an hour and a half. On weekends it lasts as long as people make it.”

“Thank you,” Jenna repeated as he left.

It was, at least, an unused room, and not the one Emma had vacated. She wandered over to the window, looking out at the grounds at the back of the house. Through the gathering darkness, she could make out a soccer field, and a vegetable garden, and what she thought might have been a covered pool.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket with a message from Elena - the first time she had noticed, but not the first message, she realised, when she realised that Elena had been texting her question marks every five minutes since she’d left.

With a soft giggle, she called back, unsurprised when Elena answered immediately.

_“How is she?”_

“She’s fine,” Jenna answered. “Thanks for calling Caroline.”

_“No problem,”_ Elena said. _“What happened?”_

“Let’s just say thatthe school needs a new guidance counsellor,” Jenna said.

Elena was quiet for a few moments. _“Lizzie’s complained about Miss Tig before. I just put it down to being a teenager forced into counselling. I know I had some choice words about mine when Mom and Dad died.”_

Jenna sighed. “So had I, but Lizzie recorded the session this morning. It made for interesting listening. I’m going to be staying here for a bit.”

_“Just a bit?”_ Elena asked. _“Hasn’t Ric tried to hire you?”_

“He offered,” Jenna answered. “I want to talk to the girls first.” At a soft tapping noise, she glanced over at the door to see Josie hovering with a basket.

Waving her in with a smile, she continued, “Either way, I’m staying here for now.”

_“That’s fine,”_ Elena said easily. _“Do you want me to send your things or …?”_

“I can go shopping tomorrow,” Jenna said. “I’m sure I can find someone to go with me. Will you and Jeremy be okay?”  


_“We’ll be fine,”_ Elena said immediately. _“Honestly, I’m starting to think we should move to New Orleans - everyone else has.”_

“I don’t know if the city could handle that,” Jenna said teasingly. “I’ll let you go, sweetheart; you’re on the night-shift tonight, aren’t you?”  


_“Yeah, I start in half an hour. Give my love to everyone.”_

“Will do,” Jenna said. “Love you.”

_“Love you too.”_

Jenna hung up and turned to Josie. “Elena sends her love.”

Josie smiled, lifting the basket. “I ran into Mr Williams on the way down. I was coming to talk to you anyway so I offered to bring it. Are you okay for clothes?”

Jenna nodded, taking the basket from her. “I’ll make do for tonight; I can go shopping tomorrow.” She hesitated. “I don’t suppose you and Lizzie would like to come? Since I don’t know where anything is.”

Josie’s smile grew. “I’d love to. Lizzie might not - after an episode, she sometimes just wants to hole up with Disney movies and ice cream, but I’ll ask her.”  


“Is she okay?” Jenna asked.

“She will be,” Josie answered. “She’s sleeping.”

“Good,” Jenna said, setting the basket of toiletries on the desk. “So what’s up?”  


“What’s up?” Josie repeated.

“You said you were coming to talk to me,” Jenna said. “What’s up?”  


“Oh, yeah,” Josie said, fidgeting slightly. “I wanted to apologise.”

Jenna sat down on the edge of the mattress. “For?”

Josie was quiet for a few moments, coming to sit beside her. “When you came back, I didn’t mean to be so … difficult.”  


“Honey, you were not difficult,” Jenna said immediately. “Considering everything that had happened, you were brilliant. You were shocked; that’s to be expected.”

Josie sighed. “Is it a counsellor thing to be annoyingly considerate?”

Jenna chuckled. “No, it’s a ‘my mom died when I was fourteen’ thing. I had to deal with my dad and new relationships. _I_ was difficult, Josie. You have definitely not been difficult.”

“So … you and Dad … are you two getting back together?” Josie asked.

“At the moment, there is nothing going on between us,” Jenna said honestly. “We’re still friends, which is good. As I said to Elena, I’m staying here, at least for a while. Your dad has offered me the counsellor role, but I wanted to talk to you and Lizzie first. And even if I do take the job, nothing is going to happen between me and your dad unless you and Lizzie are okay with it.”

“Oh, Lizzie’s fine with it,” Josie said immediately. “I’m … more okay than I thought I’d be.”

“Yeah?” Jenna asked.

“You’re not a stranger,” Josie said. “Mom knew about you. Just before she died, she told us that Dad was the luckiest man in the world, and the unluckiest all at the same time. Because sometimes the love of your life isn’t the only love of your life. And Dad had met his three times. But he’d also lost them three times.”

“Josie …” Jenna began.

“Mom thought highly enough of you to name Lizzie after you,” Josie continued. “She couldn’t come back. I know that. If Hope had resurrected her, she would still be sick and she’d die again. Mom actually specifically cautioned Hope against it before she died. But if Mom couldn’t come back … I’m really glad it’s you. And I seriously believe that if Mom could have given you a push to help Hope along, she did.”

“Sorry to interrupt,” Dorian said, sticking his head round the door. “Jenna, we need you down in the cellar.”  


“Whoa, hang on,” Jenna said hastily, before he could disappear down the corridor. “Come in, take a breath, and explain properly please. Is this about the ascendent?”

“The what now?” Josie asked.

“Some kind of device they found in Emma’s office,” Jenna answered.

“Should we be telling her that?” Dorian asked.

“Well, if you’re looking for me, I assume there were actually people trapped in there,” Jenna said. “I assume that at some point that will need to be explained.”

Dorian sighed. “Hope said it was a portal to some kind of prison. Turns out there were three students trapped in there - Jade, Wendy and Diego.”

Josie sucked in a breath. “I thought they ran away.”

“Ric wants you to talk to them,” Dorian said to Jenna.

“Okay,” Jenna said. “Tell me about them.”  


“Now?” Dorian asked.

Jenna rolled her eyes. “Yes, now. It would help if I knew a bit about them.”  


“Jade’s a vampire,” Josie said. “Wendy’s a witch; Diego’s a werewolf. They ran away six years ago.”

“How long had they been here?” Jenna asked.

“Diego and Wendy had been here about six months,” Dorian answered. “Jade had only arrived a few months previously.”

Jenna nodded. “Family?”

“Diego was adopted,” Dorian said. “No idea about his condition until it was triggered; parents handled it well. Wendy was part of a coven but had an issue with authority; her parents sent her here to try and deal with that. Jade was turned by a vampire who got his kicks from turning teenagers and watching while they lost control and got killed by hunters. Thankfully, Caroline had picked up on the pattern, but not before Jade turned.”

“Poor girl,” Jenna murmured.

“Her parents wanted nothing to do with her,” Dorian continued. “Caroline compelled them to forget and Jade came to us. She fell in with Diego and Wendy - difficult students really, all three of them - one day, Jade changed. Ric thought she might have flipped the switch but Emma insisted she hadn’t. They ran away a week later, or so we thought.”

“What made Ric think she’d flipped the switch?” Jenna asked.

“The night before, there was a murder outside town,” Dorian said. “Eight bodies, burned to a crisp. At least one of them had injuries that could have been vampire bites.”

“You think it was Jade?” Jenna asked, glancing at Josie who appeared to have frozen beside her.

“They were in detention that night,” Dorian said. “We put a boundary spell on the detention room because there’s no other way to keep them in, let’s face it. They never left.”  


“Yes, they did,” Josie whispered, eyes wide. “I let them out. I know I shouldn’t have done, but … I had a bit of a crush on Jade back then, and she talked me into it. I didn’t know about the bodies, I … I would have said something. She promised me she wouldn’t tell and that they’d be back before the detention was over. And they were.”

Jenna squeezed her hand. “Dorian, I assume if you saw the wounds, you had a hand in the investigation?”  


“NOLA PD are aware of the supernatural,” Dorian said. “Ric and I helped with the investigation.”

“Anything on paper?” Jenna asked, getting to her feet.

“They eventually sent us a copy of the case file,” Dorian said. “By that time, the three of them had disappeared, so we had other things to worry about.”

“Can you get that,” Jenna said, “and their student files, and meet me at the cellar?”  


Dorian nodded, hurrying off.

“Are you coming?” Jenna asked Josie.

“Dad won’t be happy,” Josie said reluctantly.

“I know,” Jenna said. “But I don’t actually know where I’m going.”


	22. Chapter 22

Josie was right - Alaric did not look happy when he saw her.

“Dorian’s getting the student files,” Jenna said before he could say anything. “Josie was already with me and I didn’t know where I was going.”

“I’m really sorry, Dad,” Josie said.

“Josie, I’d rather you stayed out of it,” Ric said, “but I’m not _that_ upset about it.”

“No, not this,” Josie said. “I was the one who let them out of detention. I’m really sorry. I didn’t know about the bodies.”

“It’s alright, honey,” Ric said with a sigh. “I need you to go back upstairs.”

“Hope’s not here,” Josie said, straightening her shoulder. “You might need a witch.”

“How are they?” Jenna asked, glancing at the heavy wooden door beside them. “And can they hear us?”

“No,” Ric said. “There’s a spell on the door as long as it’s closed. We can’t hear them and they can’t hear us. They haven’t said a word. I’ve assured them I had no idea about the prison world.”

Jenna nodded. “So the theory at the moment is that Jade killed eight people and the other two covered it up?”

“I’m sure she turned her humanity off afterwards,” Ric said. “Emma was so insistent that she didn’t.”

“But if she did, that suggests it was an accident,” Jenna said. “So why would the other two cover for her in that case?”

“No idea,” Ric said tiredly. “What’s with the blood bags?”

Jenna glanced down at the bags in her hand. “Josie brought me via the kitchen. I figure if they’ve been stuck in a prison world, Jade’s probably hungry.”

“She’s lucky she didn’t kill either of them,” Josie murmured.

“Hope said that you can’t die in a prison world,” Jenna said sadly. “It’s possible that she did.”

Footsteps alerted them to Dorian’s arrival. He handed Jenna four folders. “This is everything we have.”

“Thanks,” Jenna said. She flicked through the three student files, scanning the notes, before turning to the case file.

This, she read a little slower, grimacing at the photographs of the bodies.

Right at the back, she found an official report.

“Ric, did you read the pathology report?” She asked.

“I never actually got round to it,” he admitted. “We got it just after they disappeared.”

Jenna nodded, handing it to him. “You probably should have read it.”

Ric scanned it, his eyebrows lifting into his hairline. “But … that means …”

“Uh huh.” 

Ric shook his head. “I need you to find out what happened, Jenna. And if they’re safe to be around the students.”

“Yeah, of course,” Jenna said. “I’ll leave the door open.”

She pushed open the door and stepped into the room. Behind a row of bars, three teenagers stood facing her.

They were separated by bars from each other - probably for the best, given that one of the girls was looking distinctly grey.

“You must be Jade,” Jenna said to her, holding up one of the blood bags. “Catch.”

Jade caught it and ripped it open, draining it in a few seconds, giving Jenna a chance to assess her. When their eyes met again, it became clear that while Jade had definitely flipped the switch, she was also teetering on the verge of flipping it back again.

“Why are we still in here?!” The boy demanded. “Bad enough we’ve been trapped in that hell for God knows how long …”  


“Six years,” Jenna said quietly, cutting him off. “I know this isn’t pleasant, Diego, but we have a school of students and we need to make sure they’re safe.”

“Who are you?” The other girl asked, her voice shaking.

Jenna gave her a friendly smile. “My name’s Jenna Sommers, Wendy. I’m currently the school guidance counsellor. Jade, would you like another blood bag?”

“I wouldn’t say no,” Jade said.

Jenna tossed it through the bars and turned back to Wendy. “So, Wendy … those kids in the woods … Who killed them? You or Diego?”

“What the hell?!”

Jenna ignored Diego and kept her eyes fixed on Wendy. “Well?”

“No!” Wendy said, eyes wide. “We didn’t! It’s was J … We never left the school!”

“You left the school,” Jenna said. “Josie owned up eventually.”

“I killed them,” Jade said suddenly, the blood bag crinkling in her hands.

“No, you didn’t,” Jenna said. “Which one of you was it, Wendy?”  


“Jade’s telling the truth,” Wendy said, trembling a little. “It was an accident.”

Jenna glanced at Jade. “Do you remember killing them, Jade?”

Jade frowned. “No, but … I killed them.”

“What happened?” Jenna asked quietly.

“You won’t understand,” Jade said darkly.

Jenna took a step closer to her cell, letting the blood seep into her eyes. “Won’t I?”

Something flickered in Jade’s eyes and she relaxed a little. “This is human, isn’t it,” she asked, lifting the now empty bag. “We only had animal last time I was here.”

Jenna glanced back towards the door, to where she knew Ric was. “Well, that was a stupid idea. I assume at some point Caroline told them that.”

“Maybe,” Jade conceded. “I never met Mrs Mikaelson, just saw her in passing.”

“What happened?” Jenna asked again.

“I had this friend,” Jade said. “Inez.”

The name struck a chord in Jenna’s memory, from the file she had just read.

“She lived in town,” Jade continued. “She’d invited me to some party and … I didn't want to blow her off again. I had to lie to her enough. We were in detention and Josie Saltzman was hanging around nearby … I think she had a crush on me.”

Diego snorted. “Yeah, cause she was subtle about it.”

Jade gave him a surprisingly fierce glare over Wendy’s head. “Give her a break, Diego - she was ten! I talked her into letting us out - promised her that we’d be back before detention was due to be over. I wasn’t planning on staying long, just long enough to see Inez and let her know. It was a bit of a wild party and they … we got separated. I was looking for Wendy when Inez came running up to me, screaming for help … she was …” she swallowed hard, almost shrinking back against the wall. “She was bleeding … I wanted to help her, but … I couldn’t … I just … It was like I was possessed and … I remember biting her and … I blacked out.”

“I found her,” Wendy said, her voice still shaking. “There were bodies everywhere. I … I snapped her neck with magic and … Diego and I burned the bodies. I was scared Jade was going to get into trouble, even though it was an accident. We took her back to the school and got back into the room just before Miss Tig came to let us out. We told her that Jade had fallen asleep and Diego offered to carry her to her room.”

“They told me about the others the next morning,” Jade said quietly. “I … I couldn’t deal with it and then …Then I could.”

“You turned your humanity off,” Jenna concluded. “Thank you for being honest with me, Jade; I appreciate it. Wendy, now it’s your turn.”  


“I haven’t lied!” Wendy protested.

Jenna sighed. “Jade didn’t kill the other seven victims, Wendy.”

“Were you there?” Diego asked bitingly. “I don’t remember seeing you.”  


“No, I wasn’t there,” Jenna said. “But the victims were. And the thing about burning bodies is that it doesn’t actually destroy as much evidence as you think it does.”

“What do you mean?” Jade asked.

“Inez was already bleeding,” Jenna said gently. “Why?”

“I … I don’t know.”

“Eight bodies,” Jenna said. “Only one of them suffered from neck wounds. The pathology report says that she also had a stab wound through her left shoulder. The other seven were killed by a single stab-wound to the heart. That’s not an out-of-control vampire; that’s cold-blooded murder.”

Jade _broke_ , sliding down the wall with a cry, her humanity flooding back.

Jenna bit down on her impulse to comfort the girl, her instincts telling her that right now it would do no good.

So, instead, she focused on Wendy. The girl’s fear was increasingly obvious, her entire body trembling, her hands clenching and unclenching, her heart racing in a way that only Jenna could hear.

“Wendy, if you’re scared,” Jenna said soothingly, “you’re safe. No one can hurt you.”

“He said he’d kill me too if I said anything!” Wendy blurted out.

“You _bitch!_ ”

Wendy screamed as Diego launched himself at the bars between them, scrambling back towards Jade.

Alaric raced in, crossbow in hand, but Josie pushed past him, grabbing Jenna’s hand. The contact tingled, a red glow spreading from their hands, into Josie’s body and out of her other hand, causing Diego to collapse unconscious.

Ric lowered the crossbow. “Okay, clearly I wasn’t needed.”

“Sorry,” Josie said. “I normally ask beforehand.”

Jenna gave her a smile. “I’d consider that an emergency. And for the record, you have my blanket permission to siphon from me if you need to. Ric, my professional opinion is that Diego is a risk to the other students. Wendy, are you okay to tell us what happened?”

Wendy sniffled. “It was … It was exactly what I said for the most part. But I didn’t find Jade first, I found Diego. There were already seven dead on the ground and he was holding Inez - he’d got it into his head that if he killed more people, he’d be able to control the transformation. I told him that wasn’t right and that he was mad; he tried to stab Inez, but she fought him off and he missed her heart. She got away and I ran after her, but I wasn’t fast enough. By the time I got to Jade and snapped her neck, Inez was already dead. After that …” she faltered. “After that it was exactly as I said. He forced me to help him; said that if anyone found out, they’d be more lenient if they thought it was Jade because it would be an accident.”

Jenna held a hand out to Ric without a word, and he handed her the keys without question. She let Wendy out first.

“You hungry?”

Wendy nodded. “Starving.”  


“I’ll take you to the kitchen,” Josie said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Come on.”  


“Ric, step out please?” Jenna asked, eyeing Jade, whose face was buried in her knees.

Alaric hesitated, but ultimately conceded, leaving her alone with a hysterical vampire and an unconscious werewolf.

Jenna unlocked the other cell and stepped in, taking a seat on the floor beside Jade. “Another blood bag?”  


“I’m okay,” Jade whispered.

“Want a hug?” Jenna asked.

Jade leaned against her in response, and Jenna wrapped an arm around her. “I’m not mad at her.”

“That’s good,” Jenna said cautiously.

“I don’t blame her for being scared,” Jade continued. “Actually, it makes sense. When we were in there, Wendy preferred being with me than him, even though I could barely control myself.” She hesitated. “What if I can never control myself?”

“You were in a very unique situation,” Jenna said gently. “You had no choice other than to feed from the vein, you were never taught how to do that safely, and you’d also never dealt with human blood before.” She helped Jade to her feet. “Let’s go and find you somewhere to sleep, okay?”

Jade nodded, letting Jenna lead her out of the cellar to where Ric was waiting for them. “What’s going to happen to Diego?”  


“I need to figure that out,” Alaric said. “He’ll need to stay there for now.”

They emerged from the cellar stairwell to find Josie and Wendy heading towards them, the latter munching on a sandwich.

“Jade?” She asked, holding out a second one.

Jade smiled weakly. “I’m fine.”

“I’m sorry,” they both said in unison.

Jenna chuckled. “Let’s call it even for now, ladies; it’s late and you’re clearly both exhausted. Ric, where are they sleeping?”  


“Good question,” Ric said. “I don’t think any vampires are in need of a room-mate, but there are two witches on their own - Hope and Penelope don’t have room-mates.”  


“Penelope doesn’t play well with others,” Josie said immediately. “There are free rooms, aren’t there?”  


“I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to share,” Wendy said. “Sorry, Jade.”  


“No, I agree with you,” Jade said. “But I’d rather not be on my own, just in case something happens.”

“Okay, well, what if we put Wendy on her own,” Jenna said, “and Jade in with Hope.”  


“Jenna, we try and keep like with like,” Ric said.

“I know,” Jenna said. “And I know that Hope isn’t a vampire, but … she’s not exactly a ‘normal’ witch either, is she? She grew up with the Mikaelsons; I’m sure if something _does_ happen - which I doubt - she can handle it.”

“It’s worth asking,” Ric agreed. “Josie, are you okay to …?”  


“Sure,” Josie said. “I can do that.”  


“Alright,” Ric said. “I’m going to go and figure out what to tell the parents.”

As he walked away, Jade eyed Josie speculatively. “Josie?”  


Josie smiled, a little shyly. “Sorry I broke my promise.”  


“Honestly, I’m amazed you held out this long,” Jade said. “I knew time had passed, but … You’re all grown up.”  


Josie turned a little red. “Anyway, so dorm rooms. Jenna, I’ve got this if you want to turn in.”  


“I have complete faith in you,” Jenna said. “But I don’t know how to get back to my room.”

Josie chuckled. “Alright, I’ll do the tour at the same time. You two could probably do with a reminder anyway. You are going to take the job, right?”

Jenna smiled. “Let me talk to Lizzie tomorrow.”


	23. Chapter 23

Josie took the long route around the mostly-empty school, pointing out the most important room. Every now and then they came across a student, and Josie calmly reminded them of the curfew as they passed.

“Curfew is 9pm on weeknights and 10pm on weekends,” she explained as an aside (more for Jenna’s sake). “Obviously no one can make you go to sleep, but you do have to be in your room.”

“Or someone else’s.”

Josie turned with a smile. “Curfew, Penelope.”

“Well, you weren’t in your room,” Penelope said. “So I had to come and find you. Hi Miss Sommers.”

“Hello again, Penelope,” Jenna said. “I’d say just to call me Jenna but if I am going to work here, I should probably get used to it.”

“I’ll slip,” Josie said.

“Yeah, well, she’s probably going to be your stepmom,” Penelope said. “You and Lizzie get a pass. How come you’re doing a tour this late?”

Josie sighed. “Long story; I’ll tell you tomorrow. This is Jade and Wendy. They’re … old students returned after a long time away.”

“I assume that’s going to make sense tomorrow,” Penelope said. Her eyes drifted to Jade, before leaning in and kissing Josie, perhaps a little more affectionately under normal circumstances. “Goodnight.”

“Night,” Josie returned. “Love you.”  


“Love you too,” Penelope tossed over her shoulder.

“Did she really just hunt you down to give you a kiss goodnight?” Jenna asked with a smile.

Josie blushed. “It’s one of her things.”  


“I think it’s sweet,” Wendy said. “Is she the one that doesn’t play well with others?”

“Yeah, she has a circle of people,” Josie said. “If you’re not in it, she’s a complete bitch.”

They reached the staff quarters first, and Jenna bid them all goodnight, leaving Josie to complete the tour alone.

Wendy left them at one of the empty rooms. Josie retrieved sheets from one of the nearby closets, apologising profusely for the fact that the room wasn’t already made up.

“Josie, I’m exhausted,” Wendy said flatly. “I really don’t mind making the bed myself. Goodnight.”

“She gets a little short when she’s tired,” Jade said, following Josie away from the room.

“I think everyone does,” Josie said. “Hope’s on the next floor up.”  


“Are you sure she won’t mind?” Jade asked. “She’s Mrs Mikaelson’s daughter, right?”  


“She is,” Josie confirmed. “One of the reasons she normally doesn’t have a room-mate, but she won’t mind.”

“So had Penelope heard my name before?” Jade asked lightly. “Or do you just have a type?”

“Oh, I’ve definitely got a type,” Josie joked. “I haven’t mentioned your name to her, but I’m sure Lizzie has. Lizzie hates Penelope.”

“That must suck,” Jade said. “Although if we’re going to clear the air - I think you’re always going to be ten years old in my head. I mean, you were adorable, but …”  


“I know,” Josie said with a smile. “I got over that crush a long time ago. Penny and I … We’re happy.”  


“Good,” Jade said. “How long have you been together?”

Josie thought for a second. “This October will be … three years. It’s June, by the way - June 2030.” She stopped outside Hope’s door and knocked sharply. “Hopefully she hasn’t put that annoying spell up that keeps her from hearing anyone other than my dad.”

The door opened, revealing a half-amused, half-annoyed Hope Mikaelson. “You know I can hear you.”  


“Well, sometimes you can’t,” Josie said. “Dad says can you take a room-mate? It’s a long story, but Jade would rather not be on her own.”

Hope looked at Jade for a long time, silently assessing her, before stepping back. “Yeah, of course, come in.”  


“Brilliant, thanks,” Josie said. “I’d better get back to Lizzie. Goodnight.”  


“Night, Josie - thanks,” Jade said, stepping into the room. “I’m sure we can figure something out if …”  


“It’s fine,” Hope said. “I don’t say things I don’t mean. Not to mention, there aren’t any vampires with space for a roommate.”

“That’s what Josie said,” Jade said. “Um, where …?”

Hope frowned, turning to survey her room and the only bed. “Yeah, that’s not going to work, is it? Hang on.” She rested her hands on the footboard of her bed and closed her eyes, muttering under her breath.

A glow appeared in the space to the left of her bed, gradually forming into a copy of her bed, covers and all.

“There you go,” Hope said with a grim. “Admittedly we now have matching bedspreads, so I’m going to suggest we go shopping tomorrow.”

“Thanks,” Jade said. “Do you … Do you want to know what happened?”  


“If you want to tell me,” Hope said easily. “If you don’t, it’s fine. Just to let you know, I am a werewolf now as well. It doesn’t affect me at all; I won’t be in here for the full moon, obviously - I’ll either be down in the cellar or at home with my Dad.”

“Okay,” Jade said. “Anything I need to know about that?”

Hope thought for a second. “Same as the others, really - the morning after I am exhausted. Mind you, I’ve only had one full moon, so that might get better.”

“I’ll try and be quiet,” Jade said.

Hope eyed her for a second and pulled out some pyjamas. “Here, these should fit for tonight.”

“Thank you,” Jade said again. “Really, I appreciate it.”

“Any other questions?” Hope asked, getting into bed.

“Just one,” Jade said. “When did we start getting human blood?”

“Ah,” Hope said, grimacing. “You probably know that my parents helped fund the school and my mom’s the admin - when she found out about the animal blood, she wasn’t happy and had a word with Dr Saltzman. It’s not his fault,” she added. “Mom’s best friend lives almost entirely on animal blood, so Dr S was under the impression that all vampires could. But Uncle Stefan does it for personal reasons and it doesn’t really work - it’s kind of like living on meal replacement shakes. Technically you get what you need, but sooner or later you’re going to get freakin’ hungry.”

“Oh,” Jade said quietly.

“Hit the lights when you’re ready, would you?” Hope said.

Jade changed quickly, not worried about Hope seeing anything - six years of reliving the same day in a small space with two other people had robbed her of any self-consciousness.

Besides, Hope’s eyes were already closed.

She turned out the lights and climbed into bed herself, staring at the ceiling in the darkness.

“I killed someone,” she said after a few minutes.

Across the room, Hope shifted. “My dad’s killed thousands of someones,” she said sleepily. “I’m sure it was an accident.”

“It was,” Jade said round the lump in her throat. “It still sucks.”

“I’ll call Mom tomorrow,” Hope said. “She’s got one of those. Now, please, go to sleep.”

***

Hope was woken the next morning by a knocking on her door, seconds before Landon burst in.

“Hope, I need your help.”

Hope grabbed a pillow and threw it in his general direction. “Learn to knock.”

“I did knock,” Landon said, tossing it back again.

Hope sat up and glared at him. “Then learn to wait for someone to tell you to come in. One of us could have been changing.”  


Landon did a double-take, apparently only just noticing the second person in the room. “Oh … sorry.”

“Yeah, apologise to her and not me,” Hope grumbled. “Landon, this is Jade, my new room-mate. Jade, this is Landon, one of my best friends, unless he keeps bursting in like that.”

Landon blushed a little. “Hi Jade. Sorry if I woke you.”  


“I wasn’t really sleeping,” Jade said. “It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine,” Hope said. “Alright, since it’s so urgent that you had to come and find me - what?”

“I was floating when I woke up this morning,” Landon said. “Do you think I can fly?”

“Landon, everything I know about phoenixes was in that book,” Hope said, yawning. “I suppose it’s possible; they are depicted as birds.”

“Can you help me find out?” Landon asked. “I was thinking if I could get a high enough perch …”  


“You’re not jumping off the roof,” Hope said flatly.

“I wasn’t thinking of jumping off the roof,” Landon said, before pausing. “I am now though.”  


“No,” Hope said. “I don’t care if you resurrect; I am not explaining that to Dr Saltzman. Plus we haven’t seen any evidence of enhanced healing, which means if you don’t fly and you don’t die, you’re left with several months of painful rehab - and don’t think I’ll take pity on you.”

“Morning you is mean,” Landon said.

“Morning me is only mean when you _wake me up_ ,” Hope said, flopping back on her bed. “It’s a Saturday and I didn’t have to wake up. If that was all …”

“Actually, it wasn’t.” Landon shut the door and came over to sit on her bed. “I think I know what your magic did to me in Mystic Falls last month.”

That caught Hope’s attention. “You do?”

“I think it loosened my memories,” Landon said. “The book said that the resurrections would start when I reach the time I should have been born, right?”

“Right,” Hope said, glancing at Jade with a look she hoped conveyed a promise that she would explain later.

“It also said that when that happened, I might start getting memories of past lives,” Landon said. “I think that’s happening. I keep having these dreams, and … I don’t think they’re dreams.”

“Do you recognise anything?” Hope asked.

“Not consciously,” Landon admitted. “But I don’t normally remember my dreams, Hope. And I’ve been having them almost consistently since we got back from Virginia. At first, I just dismissed it as, like, trauma or something? Not that I went through the worst of it, obviously, but …”  


“Landon,” Hope prompted.

Landon sighed. “I think I see flashes of faces I recognise, but I’m not sure, and … Last night … I saw my mother. A mother. But I … I remember her, Hope. Not her face, but the way … I don’t know.”  


“I get it,” Hope said quietly. “You could blindfold me and get a hundred people to hug me, and I’d know which one was my mother.”

“I think she might have been the first,” Landon continued. “Like, that was the original me. I just … Is there a way of telling?”

Hope pursed her lips, thinking for a second. “Probably not. I can go into your head and have a look at the dream, if you like, and see if I can tell if it’s a memory or not.”

Landon was already nodding before she’d finished. “Please.”

Hope took his hand, whispering a few words that would take her into his mind, and the room faded around her, leaving her in a swirling vortex of sounds and images.

She had to focus and find the specific memory she was looking for - she had read horror stories of witches who had tried this spell and wound up trapped in the person’s head.

A swirling thread passed her, much, much older than the others and she grasped it - this was either going to be a memory of a past life, or his first memory in this one.

Either way, she’d be able to tell him something when she came out.

Hope wound up in what appeared to be a small village, and this was definitely not in this lifetime. The air smelled clean, devoid of all of the pollutants that she was used to; the houses were not much more than timber huts, roofed with thatch.

In front of the nearest dwelling, beside a fire, a woman sat, a small child in her arms, singing softly to him.

Hope smiled, stepping closer, somewhat charmed by the tableau. This must be Landon - or whatever this incarnation had been called. She found herself studying the woman - the only memory he had of a mother - and committing her face to memory so she could reproduce it.

The more she looked, the more convinced she became that she had _seen_ this face somewhere before, but she just could not put her finger on where.

The child didn’t _look_ like Landon, that much was true (nor had she expected him to, given the way she assumed reincarnation worked), so there should not be a family resemblance.

Shouting started inside the house and the child started, beginning to cry. His mother bounced him on her lap, murmuring something in a language Hope didn’t know, concern crossing her face.

An older child - a boy - ran from the cottage and into the woods, and a man - she assumed his father - burst out into the open as well, shouting after him in the same language as the woman, words that Hope could not make out - except for one.

“NIKLAUS!”

Hope blinked, the spell ending abruptly. The village dissolved into her dorm room once more and she dropped Landon’s hand like it had burned her, staring at him in shock.

“Henrik …”


	24. Chapter 24

Hope’s mind was reeling, the faces she had just seen settling into her own memory. Of course the woman had looked familiar - Rebekah and Freya had both inherited certain facial features from their mother.

And the man … That must have been her grandfather (step-grandfather?), Mikael.

“Hope?” Landon asked, looking thoroughly confused. “Do you want me to go and get him?”  


“Who?” Hope asked blankly.

“Henrik,” Landon said slowly. “You just said his name.”

Hope took a deep breath. “I wasn’t talking about my cousin. Henrik was named after my dad’s youngest brother. He was killed by wolves when he was sixteen.” She met his eyes. “The memory I just saw - the woman sitting by the fire? That was my grandmother, Esther. And the boy that stormed out was my father. The man was Mikael - no wonder they were all afraid of him,” she added as an afterthought.

“Wait, wait, wait a second,” Landon said. “You’re sure.”

“I’m sure,” Hope said. “I’m guessing you saw siblings as well at another point in the dreams?”

Landon nodded.

“That’s why they looked familiar,” Hope said gently. “You’ve met my family, just as adults.”

“Hope, this is … You’re telling me I’m your _uncle_?”

Hope reached out and gently uncurled Landon’s hands from where they had clenched on her bedsheets. “I know it’s a lot to take in. You’re just a reincarnation, Landon. Same soul, different body. There’s no blood here. Although that does explain why we always felt like we knew each other, even though we’d never met. Dad said it too, remember?”  


“Yeah,” Landon said softly. “So why now?”

“Actually, it makes sense,” Hope said. “I didn’t know Henrik was a phoenix, but then no one did I should think. But Esther turned the others into vampires _because_ Henrik died. This incarnation was born about a year after me, when they were all alive and okay and - okay, not quite together, I don’t think, but they were close enough. Except Uncle Finn,” she added. “Then again, he hated vampirism - for him, I think being dead _is_ being okay. Of course that could just be something everyone says to make Aunt Freya feel better. I can …”  


“Hope?” Landon interrupted quietly. “Can you … Can you not tell your family right now? I need to process this and … I have no idea what it means and if it means anything and … I just need some time.”

“Of course,” Hope said as he got up. “I won’t breath a word.”  


“I know it’s a bit weird being asked to keep a secret by a complete stranger,” Landon began, looking at Jade.

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” she said. “I have not understood a single thing about anything that was just said.”  


Hope gave her a wry smile as Landon slipped out. “Where do I begin?”

***

If the Emma debacle had to happen (and maybe it did, if just to get her out of the school), at least it happened on a Friday.

It had given Jenna the weekend to sort herself out. As they moved into Sunday afternoon, she should have been ready to start work the following morning: she had, with the twins’ help, put together a work-wardrobe; she had set up her office to her liking; she had put together a schedule of appointments over the next few weeks that would allow her to meet each and every student.

In fact, the only thing she hadn’t done was tell Alaric that she’d take the job permanently.

There were two things stopping her - and one of them was currently closing the garage door after backing her car out.

Hope was going home for the evening for a family dinner and Jenna made a decision before she had realised it, hurrying from her room to meet Hope down at the car.

Hope barely flinched at her appearance. “Hi Miss Sommers.”

Jenna smiled. “You can call me Jenna, you know.”

“I try and keep it separate at school,” Hope said. “Otherwise I’d keep calling Dr S ‘Ric’ and that would be embarrassing.”  


“I called a teacher ‘Mom’ once,” Jenna said, shuddering. “I think I still get nightmares.”

Hope stifled a giggle. “What’s up?”  


“I was wondering if I could come with you,” Jenna said. “I’d appreciate a chance to talk to your parents.”

“Both of them?” Hope asked. “Are you sure?”

“Hope, I’m about to spend at least a few weeks telling the students of this school that they can’t let the past define them,” Jenna said gently. “I can’t do that if I’m doing it.”  


“You mean me,” Hope said with a sad smile. “Please don’t force yourself to do this for me.”  


“I’m not,” Jenna said, mostly truthfully. “I’m doing it for me. I also want to see Matt because I haven’t seen him since I got back.”

“Fair enough,” Hope said. “I’ll call Mom on the way.”

***

Caroline met them at the door, half happy and half concerned. “Hi Jenna.”  


“Sorry for dropping in on you,” Jenna said apologetically, her eyes darting around the compound as Caroline ushered her inside. “This is …”

“It’s a bit much,” Caroline conceded. “I’ve got used to it. The Mikaelsons lived here for a few centuries before they left in 1910.”

“That makes sense,” Jenna murmured, her eyes catching sight of a family portrait at the top of the stairs.

“One of Nik’s,” Caroline said, following her gaze. “Was it me that you wanted to speak to, or him?”  


“Both,” Jenna said. “I’d rather speak to him first and get it over with.”  


“You know you don’t have to,” Caroline said.

Hope had disappeared, presumably to catch up with her aunts and uncles, and Jenna shook her head. “I do. Not for you, or for Hope, or for Elena, but for me.”

Caroline nodded. “Okay.”

It was gratifying that neither Caroline nor Hope tried to talk Jenna out of her decision, and she followed Caroline up the stairs to a closed door.

Caroline sniffed. “There’s already sage burning. Let me just make sure he’s in a good mood.” She tapped on the door and stuck her head in. “Nik?”

“Hope texted me.”

“Ah.” Caroline withdrew and held the door open. “Want me to stay?”  


“I’m fine,” Jenna said, even though the sound of his voice had made the blood freeze in her veins.

No amount of flowers had softened her.

Caroline nodded, pulling the door closed behind her.

“So sage?” Jenna asked, her voice not quite steady. “Elena didn’t cover that part.”

“It’s magic that even vampires can do,” Klaus said. “Blocks sound from leaking out. I thought you might want to yell,” he added, as though he realised how threatening that sounded.

Jenna took a deep breath, forcing herself to meet his eyes. He was standing beside an easel that was turned away from her, wiping his hands on a paint-stained cloth.

There was something human about the scene that settled her a little, but it was his eyes that caught her attention the most.

“It hurt you, didn’t it?”

Klaus frowned. “That … was not how I was expecting you to start.”  


“Me neither,” Jenna admitted. “I was going to ask why me. But … You looked me in the eye when you killed me. The curse was … It did more than just lock the wolf away, didn’t it?”  


“Are you trying to give me an excuse?” Klaus asked.

“No,” Jenna said immediately. “Absolutely not. I just … I guess I hadn’t realised why you were so desperate to break the curse. I thought it was just … I don’t know … there’s never enough power. But Elena said the wolf curse causes a short temper to try and make you trigger the curse; it makes sense that the hybrid curse would try and force it through as well.”

“So speaks the counsellor,” Klaus said with a wry smile. “Caroline says Alaric offered you the job at the school.”

“He did,” Jenna said. “I haven’t taken it yet. I wanted to make sure that the twins were okay. I thought that was all I needed first, but … I need to talk to Caroline about Jo. And I needed to do this, because I can’t help Hope deal with what happened if I haven’t.”  


“Do you think Hope needs to deal with it?” Klaus asked, parental concern obvious in his voice.

Jenna managed a small smile. “I think she’s not as okay with whatever she’s been told about your history as she pretends to be.” She folded her arms, reassured that she was safe - even if it was just for Caroline and Hope’s sake. “So why me?”  


“Because it would hurt Elena,” Klaus answered.

“But Elena was already going to die,” Jenna said. “Why did you have to hurt her more?”  


“I don’t know,” Klaus admitted. “I think I was still seeing Katherine, which I appreciate was not fair on her.”

“You’re a parent now,” Jenna continued. “And I can see how much you love Hope. I may not have been Elena’s mother. I may not have even been biologically related to her. But I was the only parent she had - Isobel left her and John had never bothered. And you killed me - in front of her! And, okay, you thought she was going to die, but I was the last parent Jeremy had as well. Why did he have to suffer? I was supposed to be at Elena’s wedding. I was supposed to be at their graduations. I was supposed to give them college tips. I was supposed to see her become a doctor, and help Jeremy with relationship problems, and tell Elena stories about her mom when she was pregnant, and … I can deal with the fact that you killed me, because I’m back now, but I will never get the last twenty years back.”  


Klaus was quiet for a few moments. “I am sorry, Jenna. There are certain things I can’t regret because they’ve led me to where I am, and I would never sacrifice what I have now. But I am sorry that I put Elena through that extra pain. And I am sorry that you paid for my anger at Katerina.”

Jenna took a deep breath. “Thank you. Now where might I find Caroline?”  


“I assume she’s in our apartment,” Klaus answered. “Take a right out of here and the third door on the left.”

“Thanks,” Jenna said, turning on her heel.

She already felt much lighter as she followed his directions, tapping on the door and being completely unsurprised when the door opened under her hand.

Caroline was pacing the living room and she immediately changed her course to meet Jenna halfway. “How did it go?”  


“He apologised,” Jenna said. “I think I’m okay.”

Caroline frowned. “Seriously?”  


“Well, no,” Jenna admitted. “Not that quickly. But he said something that struck a chord. That he couldn’t regret anything that brought him to this moment. And I just thought … If I hadn’t died, it might have changed everything. Not the curse breaking, no, but … What if it would have meant that Hope hadn’t been born?”

Caroline hesitated. “I think ‘what ifs’ will drive you mad, Jenna. You told me that when I was fourteen.”

Jenna smiled fondly. “And it took becoming a vampire before you listened.”

“So what did you want to talk to me about?” Caroline asked.

Jenna hesitated. “I was hoping that you could … that you could tell me about Jo. Elena told me about her from a kind-of stepdaughter position, but you two were friends. I just want to make sure there aren’t any landmines I’m going to trip over.”

Caroline gave her a sad smile. “Actually, I can do you one better. Come on.” She led Jenna into what must have been the master bedroom and knelt down beside one of the units. Pulling open the bottom drawer, she pulled out a box containing a number of envelopes.

Jenna watched curiously as Caroline rifled through them and extracted two, before opening one and tipping out …

“A flash drive?”

“When Jo found out she was going to die and that we couldn’t do anything,” Caroline explained quietly, leading her back out into the living room, “she decided to record a number of messages for Josie and Lizzie for them to watch at certain moments of their lives.”

“That’s lovely,” Jenna whispered. “I wish my mom had been able to do that.”

Caroline smiled at her, loading up the drive on her laptop. “She left one for you too.”  


“Me?” Jenna asked.

“Well, Ric’s new girlfriend,” Caroline said. “Obviously she didn’t know it would be you. Do you want me to stay?”

Jenna nodded, grabbing her hand as Josette Laughlin appeared on the screen, sitting mere feet away from where she now sat.

_“Hi,”_ Jo began with a shaky smile. _“I’m Jo … but you already knew that. First of all, well done. Well done because Alaric is the best guy you could hope to meet, and well done because you wouldn’t be watching this if Caroline didn’t approve. And she’s not easy to impress. This is … This is a really hard message to record. I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t love Ric with all my heart. I’m the third woman in his life that’s died young. He’s not cursed - I checked.”_

Jenna choked out a laugh.

On the screen, Jo managed a slightly wider smile. _“He’s just really unlucky. So just … be careful, okay? Go to the doctor regularly, watch what you eat and … just be aware of anything that you could fall into, or could fall on you - if you could wrap yourself up in bubble-wrap, that would be great.”_

Caroline was shaking with silent laughter beside her. “She filmed herself,” she murmured, apparently sensing Jenna’s confusion. “I haven’t watched this.”

Jo’s smile faded. _“I’m sure you already know that Ric can be hard work, and that he’s so, so worth it. He’ll have moments - I’m sure he already has - when he feels guilty when he’s with you. He might tell you; he might just pull away. I’ve been there. When I first met Ric, he was mourning the love of his life. And it must sound strange to you, for me to call someone else the love of my husband’s life. I don’t believe people have just one. Maybe that’s a contradiction of terms. Either way, he would have these moments when he felt bad for loving me, when he was still in love with Jenna. Equally, he’d feel bad for still loving Jenna, when he’d fallen in love with me.”_

Jenna squeezed Caroline’s hand tighter.

_“And I am willing to bet good money that when he first met Jenna, he had the same struggles with Isobel.”_ Jo paused. _“Also, I’m really hoping that he’s already told you about Jenna and Isobel, otherwise things are about to get really awkward. I get the feeling that Isobel changed, so moving on from her was maybe a bit easier. But Jenna … It sounds weird, but I really wish I’d had a chance to meet her. I’m sure that we’ll meet on the Other Side, and I think we’ll get along well.”_ She smiled suddenly. _“I’m sure we’d get along too. Ric clearly has a type.”_

She cleared her throat. _“Anyway, the point of the message: I want Ric to be happy. We promised each other until death do us part. Once I’m dead, that kind of ends. And that’s okay. I’m sure that I’ll stay tucked up somewhere in his heart just like Jenna did, and that’s okay too. Ric loves with his whole heart, even when it hurts. But I’m sure you know that. The hardest thing I have to do, is talk to you about my children. I don’t want this to be a situation where you’ve chosen him, but have to put up with them. I need you to be their mother. I need you to love them as much as I do. I’m not just talking about my daughters; Elena and Jeremy will need you too, however old they are when you watch this.”_

Jo took a shaky breath, tears beginning to slip down her cheeks. _“But my girls are so young … I don’t know how old they’ll be when you watch this … I hope they’ve been nice to you. But please - be patient with them. And love them. I know that’s a big ask, but please do that for me. Thank you.”_

The screen went black and Jenna wiped her eyes, suddenly realising that she was crying. “Wow …”

Caroline closed her laptop and silently handed Jenna a tissue.

“It’s not a big ask,” Jenna whispered. “I already love them.”

“I know,” Caroline said, glancing at the clock. “Come on. You’re staying for dinner, right?”  


“Well, Hope drove me here,” Jenna said with a watery smile. “I kind of have to. Can I use your bathroom?”

“Yeah, of course,” Caroline said, waving her in the right direction.

Once behind closed doors, Jenna let herself cry a bit before trying to clean herself up. The fact that Jo had compared her death to Jenna’s had shaken her. After all, Jo and Ric had been together for over a decade when she died.

She and Ric had been together for a matter of months. 

Then again, she had known then that what they had was special. Even when she went out with the girls, intending to get very drunk and forget about her lying boyfriend, she had wound up tearfully telling a complete stranger all about how she wanted to marry him one day.

_“… and have a family, and we’ll take Jeremy and Elena on family vacations, and we’ll retire to Florida because I am not dealing with these winters when I’m old and grey.”_

Jenna took a shaky breath and checked her reflection. Her eyes were a little red, but at least her make-up had held up to the ‘waterproof’ claim.

Caroline was hovering when she came out and immediately held out her arms.

“Don’t make me cry again,” Jenna said, hugging her. “I’m okay.”  


“Yeah, alright,” Caroline said. “Come on. I know something that’ll distract you.”

Jenna wasn’t convinced, but was proved wrong when she followed Caroline downstairs to find a very familiar face in the dining room. “Matty!”

Matt gave her a hug that lifted her off her feet, just like Jeremy. “Jenna! Sorry I haven’t seen you yet.”  


“That’s okay - Hope told me,” Jenna said with a smile as he released her. “Berlin?”  


“Every now and then my wife gets bored and kidnaps me,” Matt said.

“Don’t be dramatic,” one of the other women said.

“Babe, if I fall asleep in bed and wake up in a plane, it’s kidnapping,” Matt said with no bite to his voice. “I didn’t say I was complaining. Jenna, this is my wife, Rebekah.”

“It’s lovely to meet you, Rebekah,” Jenna said, somewhat surprised when Rebekah hugged her as well.

“I am so sorry about my brother,” she whispered.

Jenna smiled, giving her a little squeeze. “Thank you. I get the feeling you’ve said that a lot.”  


Rebekah pulled back. “You have no idea. This is our other brother, Kol, and his wife, Davina. Our sister Freya, and her wife, Keelin. And you know Elijah, I believe?”  


Jenna narrowed her eyes at him. “We’ve met.”  


“I will also offer my apologies,” Elijah said quietly. “I had not intended you to become involved.”  


Jenna glanced around the room to confirm that Hope wasn’t in earshot. “You got me involved when you lied about being in the historical society to get me to invite you into my home so you could convince my niece to let you use her in some bizarre plot that might have gotten her killed.”

Elijah had the decency to wince. “You are absolutely correct.”

Jenna turned back to Matt. “Elena tells me you have a daughter.”

It was a fairly transparent attempt to change the subject, (especially since she’d met both Mariella and Henrik the day before) but Matt and Rebekah’s faces both lit up, and she knew it was going to work.

***

Hope pulled into the school garage a few hours later. “Are you okay?  


Jenna smiled at her. “I’m fine, thank you, Hope. I feel a lot better. Do you know where Josie and Lizzie will be?”

Hope checked her phone. “They’re with their dad, so his office.”

“Thanks,” Jenna said, hopping out of the car.

“Jenna?” Hope called, before she could go and find them. “Dad asked me to give you this.”

Jenna tried to hide her wince. The flowers had been lovely, but he did go a little bit over the top. 

When she turned around, Hope was holding a large square package.

“He said to tell you that you were right, but that hopefully this would help a little bit,” Hope said, frowning a little. “But I’m really not sure what it is.”

Jenna hesitated. “Do you mind dropping it off in my office?”

“Yeah, of course,” Hope said.

Jenna thanked her again and made her way to Ric’s office. As she knocked, she could hear Josie and Lizzie giggling inside.

“Come in,” Ric called.

Jenna stuck her head in. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”  


“No, not at all,” Alaric said. “It’s Sunday night; we have a catch-up after dinner.”

“Well, I just wanted to come and tell you that I’d really like to take the job,” Jenna said, a little nervously, “if it’s still open.”

“Of course it’s still open,” Alaric said, with a relieved smile. “I’ll talk to Caroline about the paperwork.”  


“Thanks,” Jenna said, digging in her pocket. “Also, Caroline asked me to give this to you two.”

At the sight of the second flash drive, the girls’ smiles faded a little.

“It’s from Mom, isn’t it?” Josie asked quietly.

Jenna nodded. “She had one for me as well.”

The twins exchanged a look, before Lizzie took the flash drive. “Thanks, Jenna. Dad, we’re going to …”  


“Of course,” Ric said, watching them leave. “Jo left you a message?”  


“Well, not me specifically,” Jenna conceded, dropping into Lizzie’s abandoned chair. “For someone who had … come into your life … who Caroline approved of.”

“Can I ask what she said?” Ric asked, pulling a bottle of whisky from his bottom drawer.

“Should I be worried you keep that there?” Jenna asked.

“It’s the only one with a key and I don’t trust certain students not to come snooping for party supplies,” Ric said, pouring them both a drink. “Don’t worry; I’m not spiralling.”

“She told me to be patient with you,” Jenna said. “And to be careful. Actually, I was mentioned a lot more than I expected.” She picked up one of the glasses and took a sip. “She called me the love of your life. One of them,” she added.

“That’s bad, isn’t it?” Alaric asked, lips twisting into a self-deprecating smile. “Fairly sure your wife’s not supposed to think that.”

“When we met, you were still mourning Isobel,” Jenna said quietly. “And I know that she turned out to be a vampire and a bitch and all, but I didn’t think for one second that you met me and suddenly decided you never loved her. You did love her. Part of you still does. You just moved that part of you out of the way and let me in.”

“Jenna, I moved on from her,” Ric said.

Jenna smiled. “I know that, Ric. As pissed off as I was when she turned up, I never … Okay, there was part of me that thought you might go back to her.”

“I wouldn’t have,” Ric said, reaching across the desk to take her hand. “Jenna, I wouldn’t have. Even if she reappeared human and the same woman I married, I would have chosen you. She left me and I moved on.”

“My point is,” Jenna said, “I did not expect you to stop loving me when I died, and Jo certainly didn’t expect you to stop loving me. Just as I wouldn’t expect you to stop loving her when she died. There’s enough room in your heart for both of us.” She paused. “Of course, I’m assuming that Jo was right. She might have been wrong, in which case this is about to get exceptionally  awkward.”  


“She’s not wrong,” Ric said, his eyes boring into hers. “But it’s complicated, Jenna. You know it is. I have two teenage daughters. And I don’t want to put you through that.”  


“Through what?” Jenna asked, bristling slightly. “Your daughters?”  


“No, grief,” Ric said. “You’re immortal, Jenna. I’m not.”  


“Well, I’m still not sure about that,” Jenna muttered. “You haven’t aged a day, Ric; come on.”  


“So I’m ageing well,” Ric said.

“Ric, you run a school for supernatural kids,” Jenna said. “I’ve been here two days, and I can already tell that this place would turn most people grey. Plus, you were teaching self-defence out by the lake this morning.”  


“And?” Ric asked. “Also, were you watching us?”  


Jenna smiled. “Maybe. In any case, I saw that kid get a hit in. You should have at least a black eye.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Ric said weakly.

“Ric,” Jenna said sternly.

“I’ll contact Keelin,” Ric said with a sigh. “I’m sure you met her this evening; she’s Freya’s wife.”

“I did,” Jenna said. “She’s the doctor, right?”  


“She is; she also studies the effects of the supernatural on the blood,” Ric said. “If there is something going on, she should be able to figure it out.”  


The door burst open again and Josie came to a stop in front of Jenna, Lizzie close behind her.

“Josie! Sorry, Dad.”  


“It’s alright,” Ric said. “Josie? Are you alright?”  


Josie didn’t answer, her eyes fixed on Jenna. “Did you know what it was about?”  


“No,” Jenna answered. “Caroline didn’t tell me. The message she left for me was for someone who had come into your dad’s life, so I assume it was something similar.”  


“Mom wants Dad to be happy,” Josie said, a little breathlessly. “And we want Dad to be happy. And she said that the only dealbreaker would be that it was someone who would love us and be a mother, rather than just our dad’s girlfriend.”  


“Actually, she said she’d really like it if it was someone who could love us as much as she did,” Lizzie said, looking at the floor. “But that’s probably unrealistic.”  


“Girls …” Ric began.

“It’s okay,” Jenna said quietly, turning her chair to face Josie. “Lizzie, come here please.”  


Almost reluctantly, Lizzie moved forward to stand next to her sister. 

Jenna took their hands, looking up at them. “I can’t promise to love you as much as your mother does,” she began. “Because she does still love you, I can tell you that. Love is such a subjective thing - I would never presume to claim that I can love you as much as she does, any more than I would claim to love Elena and Jeremy as much as Miranda does. But I can tell you that I love you, both of you, and I think I started before I ever knew who you were.” She smiled. “Miranda once told me that when she first met Elena she fell in love instantly, even though she was fully intending on helping Isobel and sending them home. I never really understood until I walked into that crypt a month ago.”

She released Josie’s hand in favour of reaching up to wipe the tears from her cheek. “The only thing I can promise you is that, no matter what happens between me and your dad, I will always be there for you, whether that’s in two years, or two decades, or two centuries.”  


Josie’s lower lip wobbled a split-second before she threw her arms around Jenna, almost collapsing on to her.

Jenna caught her, only just managing to free an arm before Lizzie did the same thing, both girls clinging to her. She hugged them back just as tightly, closing her eyes against the tears that threatened her composure again.

How she had come to love these girls as much as she did, she didn’t completely understand.

Vaguely, she heard Ric saying something, and Lizzie and Josie pulled back.

“We know,” Lizzie said. “Curfew.”

Jenna chanced a look at Ric, somewhat relieved to see that he was smiling. “Goodnight, girls.”

“Night, Jenna; night Dad,” they said, more or less in unison.

Once they had left the office, and their footsteps had faded away, Jenna turned back to Ric. “I’m sorry if I overstepped the mark there.”  


“You’re sorry if …” Alaric shook his head, standing from his chair and rounding his desk.

Jenna let out a little squeak of surprise as he pulled her to her feet, and then he was kissing her. She melted into him - it had been far too long - she was dimly aware of his hands gripping her waist, of hers tangling in his hair - longer than it had been, but yielding the same pained groan into her mouth as it always had.

“Did you mean what you just said?” He asked breathlessly against her skin.

“Of course I did,” Jenna whispered. “I would never lie about that.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Ric asked, pulling back a little to talk to her properly. “If you’re wrong, and I’m just ageing gracefully …”  


“Then I’ll enjoy what time I have with you and then look after the girls,” Jenna said calmly, although the very thought pained her.

“Stepmom isn’t an easy role,” Ric warned.

Jenna smiled. “Ric, it’s not the first time I’ve unexpectedly inherited two teenagers. Of course there’s going to be issues. I’m giving them two months before the first ‘You’re not my mother’. We’ll be okay.”


	25. Chapter 25

“… and MG says he’s fine, but he definitely freaks out around blood bags still - I think he might have trouble with human blood.” Hope stopped to take a breath. “Although Penelope says that the crypt was covered in blood and he was fine.”  


“He might have been distracted,” Jenna conceded. “So how about you?”  


“Me?” Hope asked.

Jenna smiled. “We’ve been here for … over an hour,” she frowned slightly, “and you’ve told me all about your friends, but you haven’t mentioned yourself at all.”  


“Oh, I’m fine,” Hope said dismissively. “Anyway, you said that the point of this session was just to get to know me.”  


“It is,” Jenna said. “And I know no more about you now than I did when you got here.”

Hope sighed. “I’m not very good talking about myself.”

“Hope …”

“What was in the package Dad sent?” Hope asked.

Jenna hesitated. “I haven’t actually opened it yet.”

“He said you wouldn’t,” Hope said.

Jenna glanced at her watch again, checking that she was right about the time. Hope’s appointment had technically finished five minutes ago.

She had scheduled Hope’s appointment for the middle of the week, hoping to ease herself in with some of the younger students who might not have as many problems.

So far, everything had been going fine, but she had yet to have an appointment accidentally run over without the next one knocking on the door.

“Tell you what,” Jenna said. “You tell me one thing about yourself that I don’t know, and I’ll open the package.”

“Anything?” Hope asked.

“Anything,” Jenna agreed.

Hope thought for a second. “Most people think I paint to relax, but I don’t. I paint when I’m already relaxed. I bake to relax.”

“Yeah?” Jenna asked.

Hope nodded, smiling. “Aunt Davina used to take me to bake cookies when I was little to interrupt tantrums. So now when I’m stressed, I bake.”  


“I’d love to be able to do that,” Jenna admitted. “I can’t cook or bake to save my life.”

Hope frowned. “Aunt Elena and Uncle Jeremy can’t either - how did you cope when it was just the three of you?”  


“A lot of take-out,” Jenna admitted with a laugh. She got up from her chair and checked outside the door, but her next appointment was _not_ waiting outside. “Okay, let’s see what this is.”

“Will anything make it better?” Hope asked curiously.

“Probably not,” Jenna said, undoing the string. “I do feel better after Sunday, but I don’t think anything could completely make up for it.”

“You were on my nursery wall,” Hope blurted out.

Jenna paused. “Why?”  


“Mom asked Dad for a family portrait in the nursery,” Hope said, not looking at her. “Dad did a mural. Everyone in the family so they were gathered around my crib, and up in the sky, in the clouds, were people we’d lost. You were in the clouds.”

“I see,” Jenna said. “That was … nice of him.”  


“No, it wasn’t,” Hope said flatly. “It was bad enough hearing all the stories about things that Dad did to strangers. It was worse hearing about things that happened to people I care about. But you weren’t just Elena’s Aunt Jenna - you were _my_ Aunt Jenna. Mom used to tell me about how you were like a big sister to her, and how much you’d love me, and … He took that away from me.”

Jenna had stopped unwrapping the package now and threw professionalism to the wind for a moment, pulling the girl into a hug. “Hope, I’m sorry.”

Hope sniffed a little. “It’s okay.”  


“It’s not …” Jenna began.

“Not now,” Hope said. “I’ll make another appointment. This one’s finished, you’ve got another patient, and I really want to know what’s in that package.”

Jenna hesitated. “Alright. But for the record, if you want, I can still be your Aunt Jenna.”

Hope’s face lit up in a smile, so much like her mother’s that Jenna couldn’t help smiling back. “I’d like that.”

“Good - now let’s see what this is,” Jenna said, pulling the last of the paper off. “Oh my …”

It was a painting.

Jenna had guessed as much, from the shape and the size, but she had not really had any idea what if might be.

_“He said to tell you that you were right, but that hopefully this might help a bit.”_

She had told Klaus that he could never give her the last twenty years back.

Clearly he had already known that.

But it hadn’t stopped him from trying.

The painting was of Hope, Josie, Lizzie, Mariella, Henrik, Jenna-May and Ariana, but around the edges were images that blurred into each other, each showing a different moment from the last two decades - all of the weddings, Caroline with Hope as a baby, Elena with Jenna-May, a pregnant Elena holding Hope, Jo with the twins, Matt and Rebekah with a younger Mariella, Jeremy and Jeanette …

The more she looked, the more she saw.

“He must have started this as soon as we got back,” Hope whispered. “Are you okay?”  


Jenna wiped at her eyes. “I swear, I’ve cried more in the last week than I have in my whole life.”

“Vampire emotions,” Hope said wisely.

“Speaking of vampire emotions,” Jenna said, “Jade’s my next appointment. Did she say anything this morning about skipping it?”  


“No,” Hope said. “I mean, she was nervous, but she seemed kind of eager to start again. She’s one of those people who acknowledges when they need help.”  


Jenna raised an eyebrow.

“I said I’d make an appointment,” Hope protested.

Jenna chuckled. “Alright. I’ll book you in for next week.” She sighed, taking one last look at the painting. “I’ll get Dr Saltzman to put that up in here. In the meantime, can you help me find Jade?”

“Yeah, of course,” Hope said, pulling her phone out.

Jenna scribbled a quick note and stuck it on the door as she pulled it closed, letting Jade know to wait if she arrived in the meantime.

“She’s not answering her phone,” Hope said.

“Does she answer normally?” Jenna asked.

“Well, I’ve only known her since Friday night,” Hope said. “But she’s normally pretty …” She frowned. “It just cut off.”

“Battery?” Jenna asked.

“No, she charged it last night,” Hope said, dialling again. “Okay … it’s now telling me the number is not in service.”  


“I don’t like that,” Jenna said, just as Rafael came sprinting past her. “No running in the halls please.”

Rafael skidded to a halt. “Ms Sommers, thank God - Diego’s missing from the cells.”

“Come again?” Jenna asked. “How the hell did that happen?”  


“No idea,” Rafael said. “Landon and I went down to take him lunch and he was just … gone.”

“And Jade’s missing too,” Hope said, going white. “Do you think …?”  


“Possibly,” Jenna said grimly, pulling out her own phone. “I’ll call Dr Saltzman - Rafael, find Jed and mobilise a search party - Hope, find Wendy and make sure she’s safe and then get a tracking spell going.”

“On it!” Hope called over her shoulder, hurrying towards the library; it was, at least, a good place to start.

She ran into Penelope and Josie on the way.

“Where’s the fire?” Josie asked, startled, as she passed them.

“Diego and Jade are both missing,” Hope said over her shoulder, just as Alaric’s voice came over the intercom.

_“If I can please have your attention. We have a missing student. Jade is a vampire, and she may be in the company of Diego, a werewolf whose conduct has caused serious concern. If you see either of these students, please alert a staff member immediately.”_

“Do you think Jade’s been taken?” Josie asked, hot on Hope’s heels.

“Josie …” Penelope began.

“Penny, if you want to get jealous on me, do it when we know she’s safe,” Josie said sharply. “I can’t keep repeating myself.”

Thankfully, Wendy appeared out of the library just as Hope arrived, her face white. “He’s supposed to be in the cells.”  


“He was,” Hope said. “He’s not now. We’re not sure what’s happened; we need to you to sit tight.”  


“She’s my best friend,” Wendy protested.

“I know,” Hope said. “But if she is with him …”

“He’ll be coming for both of us,” Wendy whispered. “He’s so angry.”

“We’ll stay with you,” Penelope said firmly. “There’s no point in handing you over as well.”

“Can you …?” Hope began.

“Start a tracking spell,” Penelope finished, taking Wendy by the arm and steering her back into the library. “We’re on it.”

An alarm began blaring from Hope’s phone.

“What’s that for?” Josie asked.

“Landon,” Hope answered. “He’s set off a distress signal.”

“He has a distress signal?” Josie asked.

“His powers literally consist of coming back to life,” Hope said. “He’s got a button on his phone that sends me an alert, just in case. He’s in the woods.”

“He could be anywhere,” Josie said, running after her.

“Not staying with Penelope?” Hope asked.

“She’s got this,” Josie said. “And I’m mad at her.”  


“Hope?” Alaric asked, as they passed.

“Landon’s in the woods,” Hope called back. “Think he’s got something.”

She burst through the front door, sprinting to the tree line. “I don’t see them!”

“I do,” Josie said quietly from behind her.

Hope glanced back at her, but she wasn’t looking into the trees. Instead, she was staring at the sky.

Hope looked up, and her jaw dropped. A bright light was hovering above the treetops - except, no, it wasn’t hovering, it was _flying -_ slowly moving closer and closer and …

“Well, that’s new,” Alaric murmured from beside her.

As the light came into focus, it became clear that the light was emitting from a pair of flaming wings attached to Landon’s back.

“I mean, he did think he could fly,” Hope said.

He landed in front of them, setting Jade’s motionless body on the ground. “I think he’s dead.”

“We’ll go,” Jed said, sprinting past them with Rafael and some of the other wolves.

“I’ve got her,” Hope said, kneeling beside Jade. She was pale, looking rather grey, but was breathing, albeit in a stilted and laboured way.

There was a nasty wound in her gut that appeared to have nasty burns around the edges.

“Landon, I can’t understand what you’re saying,” Ric said slowly. “Hope?”  


Hope glanced up. “Looks like she got staked in the gut.”

“Alright, everyone, back inside,” Alaric said loudly. “Drama’s over.”  


“You heard the man,” Dorian said, beginning to shepherd the other students back towards the school.

Rafael reappeared from the woods. “Diego’s dead - crossbow.”  


“Landon must have grabbed it on the way out,” Hope said. “Dr Saltzman, can I borrow your pocket knife?”  


“Absolutely not,” Ric said. “We can get her a blood bag.”

“Whatever he staked her with was tainted,” Hope said.

“Tainted with what?” Rafael asked.

Hope hesitated. “Werewolf venom.”  


“How did he manage that?” Rafael asked.

“Pass,” Hope said. “But she needs the cure. Is there any of Dad’s blood in the infirmary?”  


Ric sighed, eyeing Rafael in concern. “If anyone asks, there was only vervain there,” he said firmly, “and you didn’t see this.” He pulled out his pocket knife from his belt and handed it to Hope. 

“Be careful.”  


Rafael took a step towards Landon. “You okay, buddy?”  


Landon flinched, saying something in another language that made Hope shiver slightly. “Raf, stay back for a minute.” She sliced her palm open and pressed it against Jade’s mouth.

A second later, fangs sunk into her skin and she grimaced. “Alright, thank you.” Pressing her other hand down on Jade’s throat gently, she pulled her hand away, keeping her pinned until the wound had healed.

“Okay, she’ll be fine. Swap places?”  


“I’ve got her,” Ric said, picking her up. “Can you …?”  


“I think so,” Hope said, approaching Landon warily. “Landon?”  


He shook his head, eyes wide, still speaking in that same ancient language that she had heard in his memories.

“Henrik,” she said softly. “Henrik, it’s okay.”

His breath caught a little and she slowly reached out to touch his arm.

“Henrik, you’re safe,” she whispered. “Niklaus is safe. You’re alright.”

“The wolves …” he began.

Hope breathed a sigh of relief that he had at least switched back to English. “It’s not the full moon. They’re men. It’s alright.”

“He was going to kill her,” Landon whispered.

“I know,” Hope said gently, “but you saved her life. She’s going to be okay. La - Henrik, I need you to look around and tell me three blue things you can see.”

“Your shirt,” he said, his eyes darting around them. “That car … The flowers.”  


“Good,” Hope said. “Now tell me who I am.”  


“Hope,” he said.

Hope smiled. “What’s your name?”  


“Landon Kirby.” He blinked several times, before letting out a long breath. “Hope?”  


“You back with us?” Hope asked.

“Yeah.” Landon managed a small smile. “The wings are pretty cool, admit it.”  


“They are,” Hope said, grinning back. “Take a few deep breaths and see if you can make them go away.”  


A few seconds later, the wings shimmered and vanished, leaving no sign they’d ever been there in the first place.

Hope ran a hand across his shoulders, checking that there was no damage. “Are you sure you’re okay? You were having a regressive episode.”

“Is that what they’re called?” Rafael asked.

“That’s happened before?” Hope asked.

Landon reddened. “Maybe.”

“Landon …”

“Sometimes I wake up and I don’t know what year it is,” Landon admitted. “This one lasted much longer though.” He stumbled a bit, and Hope and Rafael both seized him under one arm.

“Alright, come on,” Hope said. “Let’s get you to the infirmary.”  


“I’m fine,” Landon mumbled.

“You are _not_ fine,” Rafael said.

“No, he’s not,” Hope agreed. “Come on - we’ll take you to the infirmary, and we can check on Jade at the same time.”  


This got at least a little bit of a reaction, and they were able to coax him up to the school.

Thankfully, the infirmary was on the first floor, so they didn’t have to try and get him up the stairs.

“Can’t you use magic?” Rafael asked, when they were halfway there.

“Not as long as he’s conscious,” Hope answered. “It’s kind of bad practice. Got him back,” she added, as the entered the infirmary.

Alaric looked relieved. “Has he told you what happened?”  


“He was going to kill her,” Hope said, heaving Landon on to one of the beds. “Other than that, not really. He needs to sleep it off.”

“Is she okay?” Landon asked.

“She’ll be fine,” Jenna said. “You look like you could use a nap.”  


“Landon, I’m going to call Freya,” Hope said.

“No,” Landon said hastily. “I’m fine, Hope, really.”

Hope sighed. “Alright. We’ll give it two weeks, but you need to make an appointment with Miss Sommers. If it keeps happening, I’ll call her.”

Landon sighed, his eyes closing. “Fine.”


	26. Chapter 26

Penelope and Josie were still fighting.

Well, ‘fighting’ was probably an inaccurate description - they weren’t actually talking to each other, and it was driving Hope up the wall, not least because it meant that finding time alone with Lizzie was getting increasingly difficult.

Finally, they found themselves alone in Lizzie’s dorm room. Hope was supposed to be doing some research on regression, and Lizzie was supposed to be doing homework, but all books had been discarded in favour of studying each other.

Hope trailed kisses down Lizzie’s throat, smirking against her skin as her girlfriend arched up into her, letting out a low moan.

“Hope …”  


“Nope,” Hope said, nipping at her collarbone. “Stay still or I’m have to make you.”  


“Is that a threat or a promise?” Lizzie asked, her eyes sparkling.

The door flew open. “How the hell can someone be _so_ frustrating without even speaking to you?!”

Hope groaned. “Josie, why?”

Josie pulled a face. “I don’t need to see that.”  


“Then knock,” Hope grumbled. “What’s she done now?”  


“I swear she’s stalking me,” Josie said. “She’s not talking to me but she won’t leave me alone, presumably in case I decide to elope with Jade while she’s not looking. And I keep telling her that I’m over that crush - she didn’t act like this about Hope!”  


“No, she didn’t,” Hope said, “which suggests that it’s not really about Jade.”  


“Then she can tell me that,” Josie said churlishly. “I’m not chasing her.”  


“Oh, for the love of …” Hope stood up. “Lizzie, don’t move; I’ll be right back.” She seized Josie by the hand and dragged her out of the dorm.  


“Hope!”

“Two weeks,” Hope said. “It’s been two weeks, and Lizzie and I haven’t had five minutes privacy.”

Josie had the decency to look a little ashamed. “Sorry.”

“I get it,” Hope said. “You’re mad. And I want to be the supportive friend, Josie, I do, but you’re both being idiots.” She rapped sharply on Penelope’s door and did not wait for an answer before pushing it open.

“Hope?” Penelope asked, before freezing. “Josie.”

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Hope announced, letting go of Josie’s hand. “Penelope, you’re going to tell Josie why you’re _really_ upset. Josie, you’re going to listen. I am going to go back to my girlfriend and _lock the door_!”

Josie pulled another face. “I did not need that mental image, Hope.”  


“Then start knocking,” Hope said, almost (but not quite) slamming the door behind her.

In the silence that remained, Josie folded her arms. “Alright, why _are_ you really upset?”  


“What makes you think there’s another reason?” Penelope asked.

“Because Hope’s right,” Josie said. “You didn’t act like this when you found out I had a crush on Hope. So there’s something about Jade, and it’s not that she’s flirting with me, because she’s not. She still sees me as a ten-year-old and - even if she didn’t - I love _you_.”

Penelope sighed, sinking on to her bed. “I’m sorry, Jo-Jo. I know I’m being ridiculous.”  


“What’s really going on?” Josie asked again.

“Lizzie’s a vampire,” Penelope said quietly. “And I might not understand the whole sibling bond thing, but … You can’t tell me you haven’t thought about the future.”

“You mean the fact that I’m ageing and Lizzie isn’t?” Josie asked.

“Yeah,” Penelope said. “That. Sometimes … Sometimes I worry that you’ll panic about leaving her alone and become a vampire as well. You’re a siphoner; you’d be fine. I don’t have that option.”  


“I wouldn’t be leaving her alone,” Josie said gently. “I’d be leaving her with Hope.”  


“And what if Hope doesn’t turn?” Penelope asked.

“She will,” Josie said with certainty. “She …” she hesitated. “Look, this is a big secret.”

“Of course,” Penelope said.

Josie took her hand, siphoning enough magic to cast a silencing spell on the door. “Hope’s blood can sire hybrids. When she dies, she’s going to sire herself.”  


“Seriously?” Penelope asked.

Josie nodded. “Yeah. So she’ll have Hope. And she’ll have Jenna. She won’t need me. I can’t say that I’d never become a vampire, because I’m fairly sure if you’d asked Lizzie, she’d have said the same thing. Anything could happen. But even if I did, I can say two things: first of all, I would never expect you to turn, and second of all, I still wouldn’t leave you.” She squeezed her hand.  “I would be holding your hand on your deathbed.”

“God, that’s morbid,” Penelope said with a watery laugh.

“You started it,” Josie said with a smile.

Penelope sighed, freeing her hand to wrap an arm around Josie’s waist. “I’m sorry I was irrational.”  


Josie rested her head on her girlfriend’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to what you were really trying to say.”

***

Landon’s two weeks were up.

For his sake, Hope wanted the episodes to be getting better.

When she left her dorm that morning, Rafael was leaning against the opposite wall.

“Oh no.”  


“Good morning to you too,” Rafael said. “They’re getting worse.”

Hope sighed. “Dammit.”

“He told me everything,” Rafael said. “Would it really be so bad for your family to find out?”  


“No,” Hope answered. “But Landon’s not ready for that.”

“He couldn’t speak English when he woke up,” Rafael said.

Hope grimaced. “Alright. I’ll call Freya and see if there’s anything that I can do from here.”

“Thanks,” Rafael said. “Because I need to go and get Miss Sommers; he’s locked himself in the bathroom because it’s a full moon tonight and he’s having a panic attack.”  


“Next time,” Hope said tiredly, “get her first and lead with that.”

She had classes that morning, but thankfully the school gave the wolves a free pass the day before and after the full moon if they needed it.

So after breakfast she sent Jade to math class without her to make her excuses, and took herself outside to the flower garden to make a call.

Maybe she didn’t call home enough, but Freya answered the phone with the words: _“Hope? What’s wrong?”_

Despite her worry, Hope couldn’t help smiling. “Nothing, Aunt Freya. Well, nothing with me, anyway. Landon’s started getting memories of previous incarnation and he’s regressing.”

_“Oh dear. Is it bad?”_

“He keeps forgetting English,” Hope answered. “And he gave himself a panic attack this morning. I think Aunt Jenna’s still trying to calm him down.”

_“Okay,”_ Freya said. _“I’ll clear my schedule this Saturday; bring him over.”_

Hope hesitated, unsure how to try and get out of that without hurting her aunt’s feelings or letting something slip. “There’s nothing I can do from here?”

_“I don’t think so, sweetheart,”_ Freya said. _“I can think of a few solutions, but they all require spells that could seriously harm him if something goes wrong. I could teach them to you, but it sounds like he needs help now, rather than a few months.”_

Hope grimaced, glad her aunt couldn’t see her. “Okay, then - I’ll let him know and we’ll come down on Saturday.”

Landon met her in the foyer. “Raf said you were going to call home.”  


“I did,” Hope said. “I can’t do anything from here - it would take too long for Aunt Freya to teach me the spells properly, so we’re going to see her on Saturday.”  


“Hope …” Landon began.

“I know,” Hope said. “I didn’t tell her. Just … We might not need to tell her.”

Landon nodded. “I suppose.”  


“And if we do,” Hope said quietly, “she’ll be fine. Freya’s the one without any prior experience.”  


Landon managed a small smile. “I guess. Aren’t you going home today though?”  


“No, I’m spending this full moon at school,” Hope answered. “So I’ll be down in the basement with the others tonight. Are you going to be okay?”  


“I’ll be fine,” Landon said. “I’ve got to go; I’ll be late.”

“Miss Sommers didn’t give you a note?” Hope asked.

“She did,” Landon said. “I’d just rather not use it.”  


Hope rolled her eyes. “Listen, if you do have a problem tonight, just swing by my dorm - Jade won’t mind, and she already knows.”

“Bit unfair on her,” Landon said. “But I’ll keep it in mind.”  


***

The following morning, Hope woke on the cold stone floor of the basement, her whole body aching.

“Home was more fun.”

“It always is,” Mariella said from beside her.

Because the wolves at the school were not technically a true pack, there was no guarantee that they would be fully safe with each other on the full moon, and it was far too awkward for them to wake the next morning fully naked in each other’s company.

So there were two separate parts of the basement for the full moon - one for the boys and one for the girls.

The whole thing had been designed by the Crescent wolves, and tested by quite a few of their children.

However, there was a big difference between her first full moon and this one - mainly the level of discomfort she was in.

“It’s because you don’t get to stretch as much after you turn in here,” Mariella said, stretching out her back. “Can you pass me my pack?”

Hope got to her feet, grabbing the two packs with their names on from the shelf and tossing Mariella’s to her.

She pulled out her own change of clothes and pulled them on, yawning widely. “Okay, I’m going to bed. Is that bad?”  


“We’re all going to bed,” Mariella said. “I’ll walk the younger girls back.”

Hope smiled weakly and slipped out of the door, meeting Rafael in the hallway. “Hey.”  


“You okay?” Rafael asked.

“I spent the last full moon running through a forest,” Hope said flatly. “I spent this one cramped in a room.”  


“Yeah, okay,” Rafael said. “I’ve never gone running on the full moon.”  


“We’ll take you one day,” Hope said, stifling another yawn. “Where are the others?”

“Jed and the guys just take their naps there,” Rafael said. “I wanted to check on Landon.”  


“I told him to swing by my dorm if he needs to,” Hope said. “I’ll text you if he’s there.”

They parted at the top of the stairs, making their way to their dorms.

Hope almost stumbled through her door, half-asleep already.

That didn’t mean that she missed the fact that there was an extra person in her dorm. She had just enough energy to text Rafael to let him know, before she fell face-first onto her bed and fell asleep.

She woke again several hours later, the scent of coffee drifting past her. It took a few blinks but she finally focused on her bedside unit, where a thermos and pastry were sitting waiting for her, along with a folded piece of paper.

_Morning babe - brought you breakfast. Not sure what’s going on with your new room-mates but Jenna’s given Landon a pass for the rest of the week due to ‘personal reasons’ (I didn’t ask) and Jade doesn’t have a class until 11am today. Love you - Lizzie xx_

Taking a few sips of coffee, she eventually woke up enough to properly assess the scene across the room.

Landon and Jade hadn’t moved since she returned. There was a laptop at the end of the bed, still playing movie trailers, and they were both on top of the covers, suggesting that they had drifted off unintentionally.

What surprised Hope was that Jade was apparently a cuddler (she didn’t seem the type) - she was curled up on Landon’s chest, her face buried in the crook of his neck.

It probably shouldn’t, but that made Hope more than a little nervous. She checked the mini-fridge in the corner of the room and found a blood bag, checking the time as she did.

“Jade? You missed breakfast, and you’ve got Lit in ten minutes.”  


Jade stretched, freezing as she suddenly realised she wasn’t on her own - and more than that, there was an artery inches away from her.

“It’s okay,” Hope said softly. “You’re okay.”

Jade’s eyes were beginning to change, and Hope was just about to step in, when Landon’s eyes opened as well.

“Are you okay?”  


Jade took a shaky breath. “No.”  


Landon rubbed her back. “It’s okay. Just take a few calming breaths. Morning, Hope.”

“Morning,” Hope said cautiously. “How are you feeling?”

“I had an episode last night,” Landon said. “I came here, like you said. Jade and I watched a couple of movies and apparently fell asleep.”

“And now I’m having an episode,” Jade muttered, squeezing her eyes closed.

“No, you’re not,” Hope said firmly. “You’re panicking. That’s not the same thing. Now take a breath and come and get the blood bag.”  


Jade did as she was told, tentatively sitting up, before taking the bag from Hope. “Thanks.”  


“Did you talk to Miss Sommers about meeting with my mom?” Hope asked.

“I don’t want to bother her,” Jade mumbled around the straw.

Hope rolled her eyes. “Landon and I are going to the French Quarter on Saturday. You’re coming with us.”  


“Don’t argue,” Landon advised tiredly, rubbing his eyes. “There is no arguing when she gets like this.”

***

That Saturday morning, Hope pulled up outside the compound in her usual parking space. “Alright, we’re here.”  


“Can you park here?” Jade asked anxiously.

“You can’t,” Hope said. “I can. Fairly sure this street is private property. My family owns all the buildings on it, anyway.”

“I get the feeling you could have so easily ended up as a spoilt princess,” Rafael said.

Hope twisted in her seat to smile at him. “If you ask Lizzie and Josie, I was when I was younger. And if Dad had his way I still would be.”

Landon had insisted that Rafael come along as his brother, and Hope was perfectly happy to agree, hoping that his presence would make Landon more comfortable.

“Are you sure your mom won’t mind me being here?” Jade asked.

“My mom is really far more easygoing that everyone thinks she’s going to be,” Hope said, getting out of the car.

“Morning Hope.”

“Uncle Josh!” Hope’s face lit up in a bright smile as she threw her arms around her honorary uncle. “I thought you and Uncle Aiden were still away.”  


“Just got back this morning,” Josh said, pressing a kiss to her head. “I’m heading down to Rousseau’s - Sophie wants a hand in the kitchen; she’s got a big party coming in this afternoon.”  


“Do you know if Mom’s got any appointments this morning?” Hope asked, before he could leave.

Josh thought for a second. “No. She just met with Jackson - he and Aiden are catching up - but the rest of the day is clear. She said you were coming home; I think she’s hoping you’re all going to stay for lunch.”

“I’m sure we can manage that,” Hope said cheerfully, pushing the front door open. “See you later.”

“He doesn’t look old enough to be your uncle,” Jade whispered.

“That’s because at least 90 percent of my family are vampires or immortal in some other sense,” Hope said. “As of this December, I will officially be physically older than my own mother. She’ll be in her office,” she added to the boys, “so we’ll drop Jade off with her and then go up to Freya’s.”

“Okay,” Landon said, looking a little jittery.

He calmed a second later, and Hope glanced back, unsurprised to see that Jade had taken his hand.

She led the way to her mother’s office, tapping on the open door to get her attention.

Caroline looked up from her paperwork, her face breaking into a smile. “Hope! I thought you’d be going straight to Freya.”  


“We are,” Hope said. “Jade needs a bit of help. Aunt Jenna’s great, but she’s never … There’s things that you’ve experienced that she hasn’t.”

“If that’s okay,” Jade said hastily. “I don’t want to impose.”  


“Not at all,” Caroline said immediately. “Come on in; I’ll put the coffee on.”  


Hope squeezed Jade’s arm with a smile. “Told you so. Come on, boys.” She pulled her mother’s office door shut and ushered the boys up the stairs.

“Will she be okay?” Landon asked.

“She’ll be fine,” Hope said. “Mom’s good at those kind of talks.”

Freya’s apartment door was open, and she poked her head out as they approached. “I thought I heard voices.”

“Hi Aunt Freya.”

Freya hugged her niece, giving Landon a smile. “Nice to see you again, Landon.”

Landon smiled shakily. “You too. This is Rafael, my brother.”  


“Hi,” Freya said. “Shall we get started then?” She led them inside and sat them down on the couch, before busying herself making tea. “So, Landon, Hope told me a little bit about the problem - can you tell me what’s happening in your own words?”  


“I keep forgetting who I am,” Landon said. “It’s normally when I wake up, either in the morning or the middle of the night. Sometimes I can’t speak English. Sometimes I think I’m dying. It’s … It’s exhausting.”  


“It sounds it,” Freya said sympathetically, bringing over the tea tray. “Now, I’ve never actually come across this kind of thing before. As you know, we all thought phoenixes were myths until we met you. However, it sounds like these episodes are a cross between amnesia and PTSD flashbacks.”  


“Can you help them?” Landon asked.

“Well, there is a way to help amnesia and there’s a way to help with flashbacks,” Freya said. “So there are two choices. Both have their pros and cons. First of all, though - and obviously you know your own mind better than I do - you’re not forgetting who you are. Reincarnation is a transfer of the soul. Your body may have changed, your name, your circumstances, but who you are has not. You are, in essence, the same person you were when you first died however many years ago.”

Landon nodded. “That makes sense. So what are my choices?”

“Well, if we treat them as flashbacks,” Freya said, “we would need to look at each memory individually and help you store them somewhere so they don’t keep overwhelming you. Now this would allow you to keep some separation between your … Lives? I’m going to call them lives. However, we would need to look at each and every memory, so it would likely be a recurring thing.”

Landon pulled a face. “That sounds like a lot of work.”  


Freya nodded. “A lot of work, and it’s rather invasive. If we treat it like amnesia, what I can do is go in and help you anchor the memories in order, like a timeline. The upside is that we could do that now and it’s not nearly as invasive. The downside is that it would unlock all of the memories you have and it would actually get rid of the separation between your lives. Are you getting memories from all of them?”  


“It’s mostly the first,” Landon said hesitantly. “I sometimes get flashes of other times and places, but … that feels different. More like dreams, or like I’m watching a movie.”

“Okay, so that would actually make sense,” Freya said. “We know that phoenixes are created because they’re born in the wrong time, and that your powers are unlocked when you reach the right time, so everything in between are just vessels to get you from point A to point B.”  


“I still don’t fully understand it,” Landon admitted. “If I die, I come back, but if I hurt myself, I don’t heal. So does that mean I’m still ageing? And if I am, does that mean I’ll eventually die of old age and resurrect over and over again? Or would I resurrect at this age or something? And if I’m not ageing, why aren’t I healing?”

Freya sighed a little. “I don’t know, I’m afraid. I’m as in the dark as you are. Anyway, the amnesia option - if all your memories of the in-between lives are like that, it would be like one continuous life. So you were born in … whenever you were born.”

“10th century,” Landon answered.

“957,” Hope said at the same time.

Freya blinked. “That was … very specific. Okay, so you were born in 957; when you died, you blacked out, watched a few movies, and then woke up in this body, with this name.”

“I know you said the other option was more invasive,” Landon said. “Would you still see my the memories with this one?”  


“I’m afraid so,” Freya said. “Of course I would try to be as non-invasive as possible, but I would still see some things.”

“I’d like to take that option,” Landon said. “I already … I’ve spent a thousand years trying to get here. I may as well let that person in properly.”

Hope squeezed his hand. “Are you sure?”

Landon nodded. “Yeah. I mean, I’d rather not say anything until it’s done.”

“Okay, I know these two will want to stay,” Freya said, “but it would be easier if they didn’t. If you’d rather they stay, we can work around that.”

Landon took a deep breath. “I’ll be okay. I’m sure,” he added before Hope or Rafael could say anything. “I’ve got this.”  


“Okay,” Hope said, a little reluctantly. “Come on, Raf; we’ll pop down to Rousseau’s and grab a coffee.”

Freya waited until they were definitely out of earshot. “So is there something I need to know?”

Landon smiled weakly. “That obvious, huh?”

“You’re worried about me seeing your memories from a thousand years ago,” Freya said gently. “It shouldn’t have any effect, unless there’s something I’d recognise. You’re Henrik’s reincarnation, aren’t you?”  


“How did you know?” Landon asked.

Freya smiled. “Well, first of all, the year Hope gave. Second of all, there’s not many people from back then that I’d recognise. And thirdly, once I had that information … there is actually a resemblance.”

Landon frowned. “Really?”

“In your eyes,” Freya said. “And your energy, actually. I thought I recognised something when I read you last time, but I brushed it off because I figured I was imagining things.”

Landon nodded, his gaze dropping to his knees. “I didn’t want to say anything until I knew what was going on. I mean, you and I never met, but the others have a brother they remember, and it doesn’t seem fair giving that back to them if I’m … not.”

“I won’t say a word until you’re ready,” Freya said, taking his hands. “Are you ready?”

***

When Hope and Rafael returned an hour later, Freya’s apartment door was firmly closed, and Hope sat down on the floor opposite it, leaning against the wall.

“Now we wait?” Rafael asked quietly.

“Now we wait,” Hope agreed.

A few moments later, Freya opened the door. “Excellent timing,” she said with a smile. “We’re done.”  


“It took an hour?” Hope asked, getting to her feet.

Freya hesitated, but Landon answered. “No, it took fifteen minutes, and then I cried for forty-five.”

“Not the whole forty-five,” Freya said.

Hope did a double-take, looking at Landon. “You look … different.”  


Landon frowned. “I do?”  


“Yeah, man,” Rafael said. “I mean, not different, but …”  


“Relaxed,” Hope finished. “You look like you’re at peace with yourself. And I wouldn’t have said you didn’t before, but … now you do. How do you feel?”

“I feel great,” Landon said honestly. “It kind of felt like I had two people’s memories warring for space, and now I just have _my_ memories.”

“So do we need to start calling you Henrik now?” Hope asked.

“No, then there’d be two of us,” Landon said. “That’d just get confusing. Also … I remember my mom. _This_ mom, I mean. She gave me up because she was terminally ill. All I have left of her is my name. I kind of wanna keep that.”

“We’re going to slip,” Freya warned. “Well, the others will.”  


“That’s fine,” Landon said. “As long as everyone realises that if someone says ‘Henrik,’ I will just assume they’re talking to him.”  


“No, you won’t,” Hope said. “You’ll react because it’s automatic. It’ll be great fun. Mom wants us all to stay for lunch.”  


“I need to tell them,” Landon said.

“Are you sure?” Freya asked. “You said so yourself - you and I never met the first time round; I’m going to be much easier than the others.”

“I know,” Landon said. “But I need to tell them. Otherwise I’ll slip up at some point and make it even more awkward.”

Hope pulled out her phone. “I’ll call a family meeting.”  


The whole family - with the exception of Sophie and Josh, who were at Rousseau’s - gathered in the living room within minutes of the message going out.

“Couldn’t it wait for lunch?” Caroline asked. “It’s only ten minutes.”  


“No,” Hope said. “It’s important.”  


“Hope,” Klaus said slowly. “Please tell me you’re not pregnant.”  


“Of course I’m not pregnant,” Hope said, rolling her eyes. “Quite frankly, if Lizzie had managed that, we’d need to get her a medal.”

Caroline chucked. “You have a point, honey, but impossible babies clearly aren’t impossible.”

Kol sniggered. “Really?”  


“Oh shut up,” Caroline said. “You know what I mean. Hope, what’s the meeting for?”  


“Actually, I didn’t call it for me,” Hope said. “Landon?”  


“I don’t actually know how to say it,” Landon said.

“Like this,” Hope said. “He’s Henrik.”

“Pardon me?” Elijah asked.

“Landon is the reincarnation of Uncle Henrik,” Hope elaborated.

“Okay,” Caroline said slowly. “I wasn’t expecting that.”  


“Are you sure?” Kol asked bluntly.

“Kol!” Davina chided.  


“We’re sure,” Freya said. “And I’m slightly insulted that you think I’d let them tell you this without being completely sure.”  


“It’s not you, Freya,” Landon said. “They never believed me when we were kids; it’s not surprising that nothing’s changed in that regard.”  


“Alright,” Rebekah said, hope glimmering in her eyes. “Let me just try something. You and Kol were the youngest …”  


“You and I were the youngest,” Landon interrupted, “but nice try.”  


Rebekah smiled. “Fair enough. A few days before you … died, you asked me a question. What was it and what did I say?”  


“That’s not fair, Bekah,” Elijah said, frowning. “Henrik asked a hundred questions a minute; how could he possibly know which one you mean?”  


“If he’s Henrik,” Rebekah said quietly, “he’ll know.”  


Landon held her gaze. “I asked you why Father was so much harder on Niklaus than the rest of us. You told me it was because Niklaus was stronger than Father and Father felt threatened, and that if I was ever worried about Father to hide behind you, because you were less likely to be harmed because you were a girl.” He grinned. “I said that you weren’t a girl, you were my sister.”  


Rebekah burst into tears, blurring around the table to hug him.

“Bloody hell,” Kol muttered, leaping to his feet to follow suit.

“We’re still calling him Landon,” Hope said. “Otherwise there are two of them and we’ll get confused.”  


“Oh, I’ll slip up,” Rebekah said beaming, still gripping his hand, even as Kol, then Elijah embraced him.

Klaus stayed where he was, Caroline rubbing soothing circles on his thigh under the table.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Landon told him. “I know what you’re thinking, and it wasn’t your fault.”

Now Klaus rose to his feet. “Welcome home, little brother.”

“It’s good to be home,” Landon said. “And there’s someone I need to introduce you to.” He gripped Rafael’s shoulder. “This is Rafael. He’s my brother.”  


Rebekah smiled at him. “Then he’s our brother too.”


	27. Epilogue

The first thing Hope became aware of was the soft kisses trailing over her collarbone, followed by her girlfriend’s voice quietly calling her name.

“Hope … wake up birthday girl …”

Hope’s eyes blinked open, Lizzie’s face coming into view above her.

“Thank goodness,” Lizzie murmured. “I was starting to get worried.”

For a second, Hope didn’t understand - then she remembered the night before, convincing Lizzie to snap her neck to allow her to complete the transition.

“It’s my birthday,” Hope grumbled. “Couldn’t I have slept in?”  


“It took you forever to start breathing again,” Lizzie said, settling down beside her again. “I was worried. How do you feel?”

Hope yawned, feeling a sharp ache in her gums. “Fine. I can still hear the wolf, so I’m definitely a hybrid, I just need to …” she propped herself up on her elbows and wiggled her fingers.

From the mini-fridge across the room, a blood bag flew out and soared across to land in her outstretched hands.

“I didn’t do that,” Lizzie said, grinning. “You are now officially a tribrid.”

“I always was, babe,” Hope said cheerfully, draining the blood bag. As her veins heated beneath her eyes and her bloodlust abated, a new kind of hunger replaced it.

A hunger that, judging by the look on Lizzie’s face, was more than reciprocated.

“Better?” Lizzie purred.

“Much better,” Hope said, making the empty bag vanish with another snap of her fingers. “Do I get my birthday present now?”  


Lizzie smirked. “What makes you think I got you a birthday present?”

Hope trailed a finger down her girlfriend’s throat to the neckline of her own Laughlin Academy soccer shirt. “Well, you weren’t wearing this last night. So I think that my present’s underneath it. Am I right?”

“Well, why don’t you find out?” Lizzie challenged. “You should unwrap your own gift, really.”

Hope smiled mischievously, sliding her hands under the soccer shirt to tug it over her girlfriend’s head, revealing icy blue lingerie. “Mmm, happy birthday to me.”

It was two hours later, when they were curled up together, naked and slightly sweaty, that conversation continued.

“So you feel okay?” Lizzie asked, playing with Hope’s hair.

“I feel amazing,” Hope answered, her head pillowed on Lizzie’s chest. “I knew that everything would get magnified, but I didn’t realise how that would feel. I just … I love you so much.”  


Lizzie opened her mouth to respond, but Hope wasn’t finished.

“Marry me.”

Lizzie chuckled. “What?”  


Hope lifted her head. “Marry me.”

“You’re not joking,” Lizzie said.

Hope rolled away from her to root around in her bedside table. “I’m really not.” When she turned back to Lizzie, she had a ring box in her hand. “I’ve just been waiting for the right time.”  


“And naked is the right time?” Lizzie asked weakly.

“Maybe not,” Hope conceded sheepishly. “But I just couldn’t wait any longer. The right time is any time I want to marry you. And I always want that. I want to spend the rest of our forever together.”

“Always have to beat me to it, don’t you, Mikaelson,” Lizzie grumbled good-naturedly.  


“Is that a yes?” Hope asked with a grin.  


“Like you need to ask,” Lizzie said, holding out her left hand.

Hope slipped the ring on to her finger and pressed a kiss to her fingertips. “Love you.”  


“I love you,” Lizzie murmured, leaning in.

_Knock, knock_.

“Are you decent?”

Hope smiled against her fiancee’s lips. “Later,” she murmured, pressing one more kiss there. With a flick of her hand, they were dressed again, maybe not properly for breakfast, but covered at least. “Come in, Mom.”  


Caroline poked her head around the door and immediately pulled a face. “Thanks, Hope.”  


Lizzie winced, burying her face in Hope’s shoulder, waving a hand to get rid of the scent of sex on the air, while Hope giggled. “Sorry Mom.”

Caroline chuckled. “You’re an adult now, honey. My little girl - twenty-two already.”  


“Mom …” Hope whined.

“I remember the day you were born,” Caroline said, coming over to give her daughter a hug. “I broke your Uncle Matt’s hand in …” she froze. “Hope Rebekah Elizabeth Mikaelson, what did you do?”

Lizzie lifted her head. “You didn’t tell anyone?”

“I knew everyone would panic a bit,” Hope said. “I’m fine, Mom.”  


“What if you hadn’t been?” Caroline asked. “What if it hadn’t worked?”  


“Hope said that her own blood would sire her,” Lizzie said.

“Well, I didn’t … I mean, I was certain that was true,” Hope admitted, “but we never actually confirmed it.”  


Lizzie sighed. “You’re lucky I love you.”

“I know,” Hope said, lacing their fingers together.

That had the dual effect of placating Lizzie and distracting her mother as the sunlight glinted off her new engagement ring.

“Is that what I think it is?” Caroline asked, smiling from ear to ear.

Hope smiled. “We’re getting married.”

Caroline perched on the edge of the mattress, enveloping them both in a hug. “Congratulations. I’m so happy for you both. I won’t say welcome to the family, Lizzie, because you’ve always been family.”  


“Thanks Caroline,” Lizzie said.

Caroline kissed them both on the forehead. “I’m making breakfast and the whole family’s here, so sooner rather than later please?”

“Of course,” Hope said. “Just let us finish getting dressed.”

They shared a shower - just to save water of course - before dressing quickly, trading soft kisses and touches as they did.

No sooner had they stepped out of the apartment than Lizzie stifled a giggle. “You owe me five bucks,” she whispered, pointing down the hallway.

Hope followed her gaze, groaning when she saw Henrik, his hands braced against the wall, pinning in a rather dishevelled Jenna-May Salvatore, while he - apparently - tried to give her an oral tonsillectomy. 

“I give him a nine for enthusiasm,” Lizzie said, not bothering to whisper anymore. “Four for technique.”

Completely oblivious to their presence, Henrik shifted his hands to her waist. When she hiked up one leg to tug him closer, Hope decided to be a bit more obvious and loudly cleared her throat, sniggering when the couple sprang apart as though they had been burned.

“Pay up,” Lizzie said smugly.

Hope shook her head. “I owe you.”  


“You were betting on us?” Jenna-May asked, sounding a little wounded.

“Not you, sweetie,” Lizzie said. “Just him. I said he’d get his act together before Christmas. Hope said that you’d end up losing patience with him sometime around spring break.”

“Hope!” Henrik protested.

“In my defence, my first bet was that you’d make a move on her eighteenth,” Hope said, “given how much you were moping about her before then. And you didn’t, so I had to revise.”  


“How do you know I didn’t?” Henrik asked.

Lizzie raised an eyebrow. “If you two have been doing _that_ for three months, then you need more practice.”

Jenna-May blushed, muttering something about not seeing each other that often, now that Henrik wasn’t at the Academy anymore.

“Are your parents here as well?” Hope asked, rescuing the two from their embarrassment.

Jenna-May shook her head, still pink-cheeked. “They’re flying in today with Uncle Damon and Aunt Kat. Ariana’s downstairs with Uncle Ric and Aunt Jenna.”

“We’d best get down there then,” Hope said, taking Lizzie’s hand. “Behave yourselves and don’t do anything we wouldn’t.”  


“Of course not,” Henrik said, reaching out to brush two fingers against a spot on Hope’s neck. “You’re welcome. Also, what did you do?”

Now it was Hope’s turn to blush, realising that he had just placed a concealment charm against her skin. “Thanks. Also, I’m properly a tribrid now.”

“I can tell,” Henrik said, shaking his hand off. “A bit of warning next time would be nice.”  


Hope rolled her eyes, tugging Lizzie downstairs to the dining room, since they had far too many people to have breakfast in the kitchen.

Her father met them at the bottom of the stairs and Hope released her fiancée in favour of hugging him.

“Happy birthday, little wolf,” he whispered.

The whole family had gathered for breakfast, including Jade, who had tagged along with Alaric and Jenna, who had now been married just over eighteen months.

Hope greeted her former dorm-mate with a smile and a hug. “I’ll pretend it’s me you’ve come to see.”

“It’s your birthday,” Jade protested. “Of course I’m here to see you.”

“That would be more convincing,” Hope said, “if you and Landon weren’t glued at the hip.”

“Hello pot,” Landon greeted. “Meet kettle.”

“Lizzie and I are not that bad,” Hope said, a split second before Lizzie’s arms slipped around her waist. “Okay, maybe we are. Where’s Raf?”

“He and Mariella went for a run,” Landon answered, taking a sip of his coffee. “I think they’re taking a leaf out of Sophie and Elijah’s book.”  


Hope glanced over at her aunt and uncle, who were still ‘not dating’, despite the fact that the entire family knew they definitely were. “Oh, we don’t need that.”

“I’m going to lock them in a closet,” Landon said. “You with me?”  


“You are not locking my daughter in a closet with her boyfriend,” Rebekah said, chiming in from across the table.

“They’re not dating,” Landon said.

Rebekah frowned. “Are you sure?”  


“They say they’re not,” Landon said.

Rebekah rolled her eyes. “Alright, lock them in the closet. Nobody’s got time for that.”  


“Bekah!”

Hope turned away from her Uncle Matt’s protest to hug Alaric and Jenna.  


“Hi Mama Jen,” Lizzie greeted.

“Morning sweetheart,” Jenna said with a smile, raising an eyebrow at Hope. “You’ve taken the final step then?”

“It felt time,” Hope said. “We were reaching the point where I was going to look too old for Lizzie.”

A sudden hush across the room told her that her mother had not made the announcement.

“Oh, yeah, I transitioned this morning,” Hope added, to the room in general. “I’m a tribrid now.”

“That’s my girl,” Klaus said with a smile.

“There’s another piece of news,” Caroline prompted, bringing out a plate of chocolate-chip pancakes.

“Mom, you’re spoiling me,” Hope said with a grin. “I feel like a little kid again.”  


“What news?” Freya asked, catching her son before he could reach for the pancakes. “Birthday girl first.”

Lizzie smiled, taking Hope’s right hand in her left and lifting them in the air. “We’re getting married.”

Rebekah and Josie squealed, descending on the couple, very swiftly followed by the rest of their family.

Once the initial excitement had died down and Josie was exclaiming over the ring, Penelope snagged Hope’s arm and pulled her into a quiet corner. “Really?”

Hope smiled sheepishly. “I wasn’t planning on it. Transition causes your emotions to go haywire and … it just kind of … happened.”

“Hope,” Penelope groaned. “I love you and I’m happy for you, but what am I supposed to do now?”  


“Stick to the plan and propose at Christmas,” Hope said. “Look at it this way - she definitely won’t be expecting it now.”

“Just as long as she doesn’t say no so as not to steal Lizzie’s thunder,” Penelope grumbled good-naturedly.

“She won’t,” Hope said, giving her a hug. “Not even Lizzie could still be milking it after three weeks.”

“Can I have pancakes now please?” Little Finlay asked loudly.

“Finn …” Freya began.

“It’s okay,” Hope said. “We can always make more.”  


“You mean I can always make more,” Caroline said, putting an arm around her daughter’s shoulders. “But she’s right. Dig in, everyone.”

Finn’s cheer made everyone laugh and Hope rested her head on her mother’s shoulder for a moment.

“Sorry I transitioned without telling anyone.”  


“No you’re not,” Caroline said mildly. “Otherwise you wouldn’t have done it.” Squeezing her daughter’s shoulder, she gave a sigh. “I can’t believe you’re getting married. I suppose you and Lizzie will be moving out.”  


“Not far,” Hope said. “Probably just across the street. I’m not going anywhere, Mom. Ever.”  


Caroline smiled. “I know, baby girl. I’m just feeling a bit nostalgic, that’s all.”

“Mom,” Hope said slowly. “I was wondering …”  


“Uh oh,” Caroline said.

Hope sniggered. “Funny. Seriously though - if the kill-switch is created by the immortality spell, and I just sired myself without one … does that mean I’m completely immortal?”  


Caroline was quiet for a few minutes. “I don’t know. Possibly, but let’s not test that theory, okay?”

Hope smiled, watching her family having breakfast together, blood and love combining to create a group of people that might be dangerous, ancient and a weird combination, but were, first and foremost, _hers_. “No,” she said quietly. “Let’s not test that one.”

Caroline pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Get some breakfast before this lot eat it all.”

Hope nodded, twisting to give her mother a hug. “I love you.”  


Caroline hugged her back just as tightly. “I love you too, sweetheart. Always and forever.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's it. This series is - officially - finished. If anyone has any requests for missing scenes or oneshots, let me know in the comments - I can't promise they'll get written, but I can promise that they will all be considered.  
> If you enjoyed this series, please take a look at my profile and check out my other works - they might not be in fandoms you're familiar with, but I try to make it so they can be read without an intimate knowledge of the original media.


End file.
